Water is plentiful around Cleveland, from Lake Erie to year-round precipitation, but it should not end up in your home. Water and foundation damage is common, but permanent repair and protection are achievable with Ohio Basement Systems’ trusted team and solutions.
Ohio Basement Systems
7950 Bavaria Rd.
Twinsburg, OH 44087
(330) 235-1229
Hours of Operation
Monday – Friday: 7 am – 9 pm
Saturday: 8 am – 6 pm
Sunday: 10 am – 7 pm
Ohio Basement Systems, A Groundworks Company, specializes in helping homeowners with their foundation repair, basement waterproofing, crawl space encapsulation, and concrete needs. Our top priority is providing high-quality home repair solutions and personalized service to the greater Cleveland area. With fully trained technicians, industry-leading products, and nationally backed warranties, Ohio Basement Systems is here to restore your foundation or basement.
Since 1999, Ohio Basement Systems – a Groundworks Company – has been the premier source for innovative, quality foundation repair and water management solutions. Whether it is a settling foundation, wet basement, moldy crawl space, or uneven concrete that is causing problems, Ohio Basement Systems is the go-to for thousands of homeowners throughout northern Ohio.
Our experienced team knows your house is more than just four walls and a roof. It’s where you feel comfortable and enjoy making memories with your loved ones. We understand how much your home means to you, and it’s important to us, too. Trust us to install the very best foundation repair, basement waterproofing, crawl space repair and encapsulation, and concrete lifting and leveling solutions for permanent repair and protection.
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Many homeowners think basements are supposed to be damp and musty. These are common problems, but they affect your home’s safety and your family’s health, and they should not be accepted as the norm. Below-ground basements are naturally damp, but they can sustain other damage like water intrusion, flooding, efflorescence, and mold growth because of the area’s soil and weather. Cleveland’s annual 38 inches of rain and 54 inches of snow easily saturate and flood the area’s silty and clay soil. This water can end up in your basement through wall and floor cracks, windows, and if your home has poor foundation drainage and faulty sump pumps. Ohio Basement Systems will install fully customizable solutions including wall vapor barriers, interior drainage, sump pumps, and dehumidifiers to meet your basement’s repair needs and keep it dry for good.
The foundation is what supports your entire house. For safety and structural integrity’s sake, it’s important for your foundation to be properly supported. However, homes in Cleveland often run into problems because of the area’s weather and soil conditions. Cleveland has diverse soil including silt loam and clay. Silty soil can easily wash away from heavy annual precipitation (38 inches of rain and 54 inches of snow). All this water makes clay expand and contract, either pushing on the foundation and walls or shrinking and leaving the foundation without stability. The foundation will sink, settle, heave, and display symptoms like wall cracks, bowing walls, uneven floors, jamming windows and doors, and more. Solutions like wall anchors, wall braces, pier systems, and crawl space supports bypass the soil for permanent foundation repair and protection.
Crawl spaces aren’t as common in Cleveland homes as basements, but some houses in the area were built on top of these “buffers.” Useful for keeping your home above ground and plumbing and ductwork out of the way, crawl spaces are also known to cause many problems. They are typically built with open vents intended to aid in moisture management. However, Cleveland’s humid summer air, cold winter air, water from 38 inches of annual rainfall and 54 inches of snowfall, and pests easily find their way inside. These are problems on their own, but they also lead to other issues like wood rot, sagging floors, mold, unpleasant odors, and high energy bills. Ohio Basement Systems has permanent crawl space encapsulation and repair solutions including waterproofing measures, vapor barriers, dehumidifiers, thermal insulation, and support posts that transform the health and safety of this area.
Your property has a lot of concrete – from your driveway and sidewalk to outdoor steps and pool deck. Like your concrete foundation, these other structures can be damaged in the same ways by the same forces. More than 90 inches of annual precipitation (54 inches of snow and 38 inches of rain) easily destabilizes Cleveland’s silty and clay soils. Loose silt can wash away and clay can expand and heave upwards. Without a solid base from underlying soil, concrete slabs will crack and sink, leaving behind unsightly tripping hazards. Ohio Basement Systems can put your concrete back on solid ground with an innovative concrete lifting and leveling solution. The polyurethane foam we inject under the concrete is non-invasive, eco-friendly, quick curing, long-lasting, and applicable to various structures on your property.
Waterproofing your property’s basement is one of the most important things that you can do to protect your home from the stresses of environmental factors and pressures. It is also an essential part of basement finishing for homeowners who are looking to convert their basement into a living or sleeping space.
When You Are Finishing Your Basement
Basement finishing and conversion are very common these days, as more and more people look for ways to make the most of the space in their homes. Waterproofing is a very important part of the process of finishing a basement. In fact, it is fundamental to the continued health of any space that is created inside a basement. Waterproofing as a matter of course when you convert a basement has many benefits.
Most obviously, this process will make the space far more comfortable and healthy to live and sleep in. Waterproofing lowers humidity, prevents mold formation, and makes the likelihood of pest infestation far less likely. This clean, dry, stable climate will also be easier to heat and cool, thereby keeping your energy usage to a minimum and even lowering your property’s energy bills as a whole. After all, your basement has an effect on your whole home.
Do Not Wait for Damage
Waterproofing is generally a part of any basement or foundation repair process because it can contribute to preventing the recurrence of the issues. However, we urge you not to wait until there is damage to your home before waterproofing your basement. You see, while there are benefits to pre-emptive waterproofing, there are also very serious drawbacks to waiting until your property is damaged to begin the process of waterproofing.
The most obvious issue, of course, is that by waiting for damage to take root before you waterproof your basement, you will leave yourself with damaged property and potentially hefty repair costs to grapple with. This will cost you far more money in the long run and could even impact your health and well-being, depending on the issues that develop in your home before you act. As such, it is best to pre-emptively waterproof your basement (even if you are not planning on using it as a living space).
Foundation settling often gets detected after the house is falling apart. If you’ve spotted the problem signs and have determined that your foundation is failing, you need to act fast. Settling only gets worse with time, which means that what you are seeing will become more of a problem later on. If allowed to go on for too long, the house may even become too structurally unsound to live in. Before that happens, call your local foundation experts for repairs.
Foundation problems are not something you can just DIY, like a paint job or hanging a painting. For the job to be done right, professional solutions are required. At Ohio Basement Systems, we provide the best foundation repair options for the homeowners of Youngstown, OH, such as helical piers and push piers. These pier support systems will permanently stabilize your foundation and completely stop the settling. The piers even have the potential to lift your home and even it out again.
After repairs are done, you can go about repairing any damage created by the foundation settling. If any door and window frames are warped, get them replaced. If any walls have cracks, get those patched up. It’s not worthwhile to repair your home when it’s settling, since anything that isn’t a support pier will not stop the damage caused by settling. If you haven’t already, also consider waterproofing your foundation, since some problem with the foundation drainage may have caused the settling.
Dealing with an exposed crawl space can take a number of forms.Preventing damage is ideal, but when it has already taken root, there are repair methods available.
Structural Repairs
Structural repairs will always take precedence when there is a professional involved. In fact, they should always take precedence over waterproofing measures and cosmetic repairs. That’s because if they are not completed before these processes, the issue could recur or grow in severity and scope. This will make the situation more dangerous and could increase repair costs overall.
Structural repairs cover a broad number of processes including foundation repair, concrete lifting, joist repair and replacement, and wall reinforcement. The nature of structural repairs required in each home will vary depending on a number of factors. This is why we recommend that you call in a professional as soon as possible.
Waterproofing and Encapsulation
If there are no structural repairs needed or the structural concerns have all been resolved, a professional will most likely suggest crawl space waterproofing or encapsulation. This will include covering exposed vents and crawl space access doors but goes much further and has many tangible benefits for your whole home.
Like structural repairs, encapsulation varies from home to home and is tailored to the confines of a specific situation. Generally speaking, however, structural repairs include drainage assessment and improvement, insulation, and the installation of a vapor barrier, as well as the covering of vents and doors. This will improve energy efficiency, reduce humidity, and even allow you to use your crawl space for storage.
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1 Marion Ave, Suite 309
Mansfield, OH 44903
(567) 275-8588
7950 Bavaria Rd.
Twinsburg, OH 44087
(330) 235-1229
159 Crocker Park Blvd, 4th floor
Westlake, OH 44145
(330) 235-1229
35475 Vine St, Suite 216,
Willowick, OH 44095
(440) 332-4339
8531 Market St.
Youngstown, OH 44512
(330) 400-3783
