Appreciation post: That moment I walked into my cousin's basement after waterproofing

My cousin lives in Burlington and his basement used to smell like a wet dog even after a light rain. He finally dropped $8,000 on an interior waterproofing system with a sump pump last fall. I went over for game night last weekend and walked down those stairs expecting that musty hit. Instead it just smelled like normal basement air, like concrete and old boxes. The difference was night and day, and he told me his humidity monitor went from 72% down to 48% since the install. Has anyone else noticed a big change after sealing up their foundation?

2 comments

2 Comments

blair_gibson7810d ago

...and honestly that's the kind of thing that makes you wonder what else we're just tolerating out of habit. My buddy did the same thing with his crawlspace last year and now his heating bill dropped way lower than he expected. It's funny how a lot of problems just become "normal" until you actually fix them and realize you were putting up with something terrible the whole time.

the_miles10d ago

Jeez man, I feel that so hard. It's wild how you can get used to a smell or a damp feeling in your own house until it's gone and you're like "how did I live like that?" Your cousin must feel like he's in a whole new house now. That humidity drop is no joke either, 72 to 48 is a massive difference that'll probably help keep his joists and drywall from rotting out down the line. Honestly, good for him for biting the bullet on the cost, a lot of people just throw dehumidifiers at it and call it a day. It's one of those things where you don't realize how much it was dragging on you until it's fixed. Happy for your cousin, that's money well spent.