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Renovation headaches

I had invited some of you out to take a look at my latest project where we were going to be doing some quick renovations to increase the value of the property and generate additional rents.  We are now in reno mode. When we purchased the property, we noticed a lot of broken and improperly (really) installed drywall and figured we just need to remove the drywall and install and new.

After the close, we started removing the old drywall and quickly realize there is another problem. The pink insulation behind the drywall had turned black in different areas. There is only one reason why that happens and it’s moisture. We further noticed that the framing was a mess. The bottom wasn’t even connected with guide and the whole frame was hanging off the guide on the top. The framing was inconsistent with studs mounted at 20″, 22″, 24″ apart… We removed all the insulation and framing and found the culprit. The basement had leaks all around the perimeter.

This is a major set back to the project as this is something that I wasn’t expecting. I was expecting some surprises but nothing like this. I know from experience that digging the outside perimeter would be too expensive since there isn’t much space around the property plus there is a lot of ground to excavate. My next option was to install a weeping tile system inside the basement called a French Drain System.

I’ve recommended this product to other clients before who ran into issues with their basement. It’s a great product if installed correctly. The digging and installation of the system is one aspect of successful installation. The second aspect is when the framing is done and how a separation of water and materials is created. For this property, I was thrilled to see that there was already a french drain system installed but looks like it’s been clogged up so some cleaning is in order. The other aspect is to ensure there is proper barrier put in place between the materials and the moisture to ensure there is no more mould in the basement. This is achieved by installing a layer of Tar Paper or Vapour Barrier to keep the moisture running freely down the wall into the drain.

I’m expecting to be working on this project for the next month and if you’re interested in find out more info or to see the progress being made, leave a message below and I’ll blog about other items we are fixing here.

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2 comments

  1. pls keep us up to date w your reno. It’s a real education, Glenna and Mikey

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