Part two: Water damage repair - is a rubber ducky your new roomie?

While you might be tempted to convert the basement into a pool, hold tight, there are solutions to even the toughest of water damage issues. How a house in Israel behaves once lived in, is greatly affected by sea air, sun, soil, and rain. What's the best way to handle unwanted water in the house should be determined by a recommended expert. What in my experience has set the professionals I rely on apart from others is their commitment. Like a true artisan, they take pride in their work. Their evaluation of the problem is based on experience and should be backed with an extended warranty.

If the home is situated on moist soil, seepages can be found at the edges and joints where floor and walls meet. Often, by the time the damage is visable to the eye, its extent may lie deep in the bones of the house or foundation Don't be too surprised to hear a serious strategy for what seems like mild mildew or a stain on a wall.

Homes that are set on a slope can allow for heavy rainfalls to cause flooding with the water pressure saturating the block walls. Ideally , getting the slope fixed would solve this problem. If that is not a feasable option, then serious internal and external waterproofing is needed.

If in the home's construction stage, the true extent of Isolation work needed was not integrated, future water damage issues occur. Such a lack of deep exterior isolation and not just spreading of waterproofing material, can often appear as water stains on the interior walls. Angled cracks on walls can be indicative of foundation issues. In such cases, digging out the exterior along the home and adding proper sealants and drainage can alleviate this problem. A more serious degree would be water seepage into the sand beneath the flooring. This would show up as floor stains and mold between the floor tiles. This is not always possbile to repair with a mild ammendment.

Stains along windows and doors, or pealing paint in these areas would indicate pressure shift. This is due to combination of acrylic silicon sealant which adheres great to Aluminium but not to concrete walls. The solution is to reseal using mainstream polyurethane sealant such Sikflks FC11 and Sikflks PRO. A stone or marble windowsill that was sealed with an acrylic based adhesive can allow moisture to pass through. It would require resealing with a product such as Sikflks FC11 + Primer. In addition, alumnium doors and windows have outer drainage tracks with holes, these should be kept clean.

Hopefully, this helped shed some light on common water damage issues. It is best to address these problems, before they become even more serious. Also, following the repairs it is advisable to test for mold. A remediation crew can treat this toxic hazard. All in all, the recommended repair strategy is unique to each situation. It is best evaluated and carried out by a professional. Feel free to contact me for recommendations.