basement / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

Flooded basements; how to start fixing a basement flood
Basements improvements

Basement full of water? How to start fixing the damage from a basement flood

...basements that much but that they're still better than a crawlspace?)  Basement flooding always leaves a mess for someone to clean up Basement flooding 101 The most common causes of flooding in basements  Many factors can lead to a basement flood, there are a few of them below. We do cover  the "why" part of basement...

Finishing a Basement to Resist Water or Humidity
Basements

Finishing a basement to be water resistant - reducing the damage from basement flooding

...basement and home Assessing the damage post-flood Get a professional basement inspection Steps to rebuilding a flood-resistant basement Rebuilding after a flood, or finishing a basement to resist floods and humidity How to finish a basement to resist humidity - behind the scenes! How to finish a basement to resist wate...

Slab on grade or a foundation and basement?
Slab on Grade

Slab-on-grade vs foundation and crawlspace or basement

...basement construction  How much insulation does a basement need  How to finish the exterior of insulated basements and slabs Why is a slab-on-grade foundation more eco-friendly than a basement? Discover all the benefits of a free Ecohome Network Membership here - promote your business and get access to discount...

Basement foundation with exterior dimple membrane for water protection
Basements

Should you buy a home with a finished basement?

...basement walls is the last thing you should ever do, yet still a common practice. Here is our page all about how to build basements and avoid mold so you know why almost all basements fail, and what a proper basement would be like instead. We hope these articles will leave you with the tools to spot a future problem an...

Workers assemble ICF blocks to pour a basement foundation
New foundations and slab-on-grade

Is ICF the Best Way to Build a Basement?

...basements are moldy and how to prevent mold to get an undertanding of why they fail, and how to build them better.  And here is our best practices for efficient and durable basement construction page, where you can see what a properly built basement looks like. But it's not often that you see a basement built to such h...

Cómo aislar correctamente los sótanos
Basements

Best practices for basement insulation in new home construction

...basements are typically under-insulated or not insulated at all, and if they are, they almost always trap moisture within wall assemblies. This leads to preventable mold growth and rotting in basement walls - often caused by interstitial condensation. The following basement insulation techniques listed here are designe...

Basements improvements

Repairing Damp Basements: Why Encapsulation is the Best Upgrade for Older Foundations

...Basement and crawl space encapsulation: a homeowner's and pro's guide Basement and crawl space encapsulation is a comprehensive moisture management strategy designed to seal the foundation from the damp earth. Whether you are dealing with a dirt floor crawl space or an older concrete basement floor lacking a vapor barr...

Basement wall insulation
Insulation and soundproofing

Properly insulating basements and concrete slab floors

...basement floor need? Insulating a basement is a great idea if it wasn't insulated when built, as before we began insulating foundation walls and below slabs (see slab on grade), it was generally estimated that basement heat loss accounted for about 1/3 of the total heat loss of a house. It is likely that such an abysma...

Waterproof floor screeding with underfloor hydronic heating
Basements improvements

The ultimate guide to basement under floor heating and waterproof floor screeding

...basement improvements and radiant floor heat in these pages and in the Ecohome Green Building Guide:  Why are basements moldy? How to fix and prevent mold in homes How to prevent mold during basement renovations  'Smart' sewage backup flood prevention devices and alarms How to fix a flooded basement quickly A...

Finished basements can lead to mold and mildew
Basements improvements

Why are basements moldy? How to fix or prevent a moldy basement

...basements are moldy and how to avoid mold when finishing basements. Find more about resilient and durable home construction in the pages below and in the Ecohome Green Building Guide. How to choose between an ERV & HRV system for basement ventilation Preventing mold when you insulate your basement  How to dea...

Basement Design for walls prevents mold & midlew when renovating & finishing
Basement finishing

Basement renovations: How to prevent mold when finishing basements

Basements don't have to be moldy, that is the first thing to realize. It's easy to build a basement better, or to finish an existing basement correctly, we just need to realize that they behave differently than above grade walls and to build accordingly to effectively deal with the humidity found underground - and by d...