Basement Inspections During a Routine Property Inspection

A basement is an area below the first floor with a minimum height of 6 feet 8 inches. Basements may be unfinished or finished, and used to store personal belongings, house mechanical systems such as the HVAC system, electrical panel, and main plumbing controls. Many basements provide added living space, including bedrooms, bath, recreation rooms. Finished or unfinished, it is estimated that 90 to 95 percent of all basements will experience a water penetration problem at some point.

Generally, water penetration in a basement causes more damage to personal belongings and mechanical systems than actual damage to structure. However, excessive moisture in the basement can lead to health concerns, such as mold and mildew. In addition, excessive moisture can lead to the development of wood destroying fungus (WDO) and create conducive conditions that can lead to infestation of wood destroying insects such as termites.

For more information on how to deal with a wet basement, follow the links below or to the left.