Why Does My Basement Flood?
Flooding is a category, not a diagnosis. The water arrived by one of a handful of routes, and each one has a different repair.
Start with what you can see
Basement and foundation problems, explained by symptom
You do not need to know the name of the repair. Choose what is actually happening at your property and start there: what usually causes it, how urgent it is, what you can check yourself and which service addresses it.
10 common symptoms
What are you seeing?
Each page gives the direct answer first, then the likely causes, the signs that mean act sooner, and what to check before anyone visits.
Cracks in a Basement Floor
Most basement slabs crack. The question is whether the crack is telling you about the concrete or about what is underneath it.
Sinking, Sloping or Uneven Floors
A floor that has gone out of level is reporting on what is holding it up. The cause is usually visible from underneath.
Doors and Windows That Stick
Wood swells in humid weather and shrinks in winter. When a door binds and never comes back, something else is moving.
A Leaning or Tilting Chimney
A masonry chimney is heavy and usually carried by its own footing. When it moves independently, the footing is generally the reason.
Cold Floors Over a Crawlspace
Cold floors are usually an air and moisture problem before they are an insulation problem. Adding insulation over a wet crawlspace rarely works.
Wood Rot in a Basement or Crawlspace
Rot is moisture damage with a biological cause. Replacing the wood without removing the water only resets the clock.
A Musty Basement Smell
Musty odour is microbial growth on damp material. The smell is the symptom; the moisture is the thing to find.
Condensation on Basement Walls
Water on a wall is either coming through it or forming on it. The two look similar and need completely different work.
Mold in a Basement
Federal guidance is consistent on the order: fix the water, then remove the growth. Reversing those two guarantees it returns.
Local service
Whatever it turns out to be, it gets inspected here.
We serve Greater Burlington and northwestern Vermont. Choose your town for local conditions that change the work.
Request local service
Tell us what is happening at the property.
Describe the symptom and we will inspect the cause before recommending any work.