Stop the Leak!

You’ve likely seen advertisements for basement waterproofing, but how do they actually do it? We asked the pros at Olivieri & Son Basement Waterproofing who revealed how to do it right—and save money.

By: Ken McEntee
Date: 07/16/2009
If you think the real estate market has been bad, try selling your home with a leaky basement.

“A leaking basement not only can quickly ruin the foundation of your home, but it almost eliminates the possibility of selling your home for its true value,” says Rocco Olivieri, of Olivieri & Son Basement Waterproofing.

Since 1981, Rocco and his son, Mark, have waterproofed basements, rebuilt foundations, inspected sewers and installed concrete driveways, walks and patios—including stamped patios—for hundreds of customers all over the Cleveland area. When you hire Rocco and Mark to do your project, you get Rocco and Mark, not a handful of subcontractors.

“We do every job ourselves,” Mark says. “You deal directly with us. That’s important to our customers.”
Moisture on your basement walls or a white residue or cracking can indicate a problem that needs to be repaired, Rocco says. Some companies waterproof from inside the basement. That isn’t the best way to do it, he insists.
“We work from the outside,” he explains. “The key is to stop the water from coming in.”

Rocco and Mark begin the process by excavating your leaky wall all the way to the footer. They then pressure wash your foundation to clean the debris and highlight any cracks where moisture may be entering. Those cracks are patched and sealed with Waterplug Sealant.

For added protection, they coat the end wall from the footer to grade with Thoroseal Sealant.

“Rolling and tar rubber emulsion from footer to grade is the final step in preventing moisture from entering your wall,” Rocco says. “For proper water drainage, we install four-inch heavy-duty perforated PVC along the footer.
We will also provide a clean-out on each wall excavated.”

The excavation is backfilled with No. 57 premium wash gravel to direct water to the drain tile. The project is completed with a layer of topsoil—not dirt—to promote the growth of plants.

“When we finish, you will hardly even know we were there,” Mark promises. “We respect your home, gardens and lawn, and we keep them clean and professional. And our process is very likely stronger than the steps the original builder implemented.”

Moisture is just one foundation issue Rocco and Mark can fix.

“There are many reasons why a foundation will crack, bow, shift or buckle,” Rocco says. “Many times you are able to excavate the outside of your wall and jack it back into place.  We then reinforce your wall and go through the waterproofing process to prevent it from happening again. The important step in this process is backfilling with No. 57 premium wash gravel to grade to relieve any pressure against your foundation.”

If the problem is more severe, it may be necessary to rebuild a foundational wall if it cannot be jacked back into place.

“As a homeowner myself, I understand how overwhelming these situations can seem,” Rocco says. “We can properly identify the problem before you pay for expensive remedies that may not permanently address your situation.”

Olivieri and Son also specializes in camera inspection of sewers.

“Camera inspection can save you a lot of work and money,” Rocco explains. “By using a camera inside your sewer, we can visually determine what the problem is. With this information, we can see if a simple cleaning or jetting will clear the blockage. If your sewer is broken and needs repaired, we will know exactly where to make your repair, which saves you considerable time and money.”

Rocco and Mark guarantee all of their work and are licensed, bonded and insured.

“We have to do great work,” Mark says. “We don’t want to embarrass our family.”

To schedule a no-obligation estimate with Olivieri and Sons, call 440-342-6844. You can find more information at www.basementandwaterproofing.com.

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