Basement Window Wells

Is the beauty of your home lessened by old, rusty, ugly, open-topped basement window wells? You’re certainly not alone and there’s good news! Modern vinyl-constructed basement window wells offer various advantages and benefits for owners of all types of homes including:

Tough vinyl construction that never fades or needs painted;
Bottom well pieces for inhibiting weed growth, hiding the dirt, disallowing splashing and more;
Top well pieces that keep out water, leaves and more;
Increased entrance of natural light;
Matches the new manufacturing standards of replacement basement windows;
Increases aesthetic value of your entire home and property;
Increases the appraisal value of your home;
Increases safety and security;
It’s also true that many old basement window wells contribute significantly to basement flooding issues. If you’re considering replacing your outdated basement window wells, then it’s best to call a professional basement waterproofing company. Getting and keeping your basement dry, usable and attractive is important to the overall happiness of your family.

Call Rika Construction, Inc. today at 973 732 0023, or email us, and speak with our friendly, helpful customer support representatives about your basement window well options

French Drainage Systems

French drainage systems have been commonly used on all types of homes, businesses and other structures since the mid 1800s. It was Henry French, a Massachusetts lawyer that popularized the technique.  A French drain, in traditional form, was simply a trench that was dug out on a proper angle (pitch), and then filled in with gravel. Modern French drain systems can be installed either on the inside or the outside of your home. Today, professional waterproofers use landscape fabric, silt filters, perforated drain piping and more to insure maximum performance and efficiency.

And interior French drain system involves jackhammering up a swath of concrete from your basement floor, exposing the soil beneath and forming the path of the trench. The soil is dug out to an appropriate depth. Landscape fabric, gravel, drain piping and more gravel are added to fill the trench. The floor is repaired above the interior French drain system. This type of French drain is most often requested from homeowners who are wanting to remodel their basements, and finally be able to use that space!

Exterior French drain systems are used prevalently in the building industry. New homes and businesses are commonly equipped with exterior French drain systems. An exterior French drainage system is most often installed as the home is being build, before the lot even gets backfilled and topsoiled. A trench is dug around the perimeter of the basement walls. Landscape fabric, gravel, drainage pipe, silt filter and more gravel are used to fill in the trench. The exterior French drain is then buried by backfill and covered with topsoil.

Expert French drain installers make sure to include easy-access, flushing ports for simple periodic maintenance. French drains can last for a decade or more and never develop any problems at all. A bit of simple maintenance is all that’s required. And of course, exterior French drains can be installed wherever a homeowner may have need, like an area of property that pools water.

Call Rika Construction, today at 973 732 0023, or email us, and speak with our friendly, helpful customer support representatives about your interior and exterior French drainage system options.

Basement Water Damage

Flooded Basements: Helpful Tips for Dealing with Basement Water Damage

When you find your basement flooded, it can be a devastating experience! Inches or even feet of water in your basement can cause a lot of mental anguish, destruction to your personal property, structural damage, electrical problems, mold/mildew development and far more.

It’s always best to quickly get some professional help from an expert basement waterproofing company.  Getting the water pumped out in a safe fashion, repairing drywall, implementing mold/mildew remediation and more are all going to have to be addressed promptly and effectively. However, there are some steps you can take on your own as well.

Helpful tips for dealing with basement flooding:

First, shut off any water sources that have failed to cause the flooding. In most cases, basement flooding results from ground water rising, but you need to be sure. A failed pipe, water heater, supply line or other pressurized source of water can flood your basement with thousands of gallons of water in just hours! If you elect to shut off your own water supplies, do all you can to stay high and dry. A flooded basement may be affected by electrical currents, bacteria, viruses and more.

Gather your most important personal property items. Again, be safe! Even if there is no danger of electrocution, you can still easily come in contact with raw sewage and other poisonous/harmful substances.

Remember that even though fabrics, photos, documents and more may look fine presently, because of the excessive moisture and humidity, they are prone to developing mold over the next couple of days.

Give your insurance company representative a phone call. It will be soothing to you to understand what options you have – and which you don’t. Getting the process underway quickly will save you processing time and hassles later on.

Take as many descriptive pictures as possible to create a record of real time damages.

Reasons why calling a professional basement flooding/waterproofing company is beneficial:

You need a team of a real professionals who specialize in drying out wet homes, getting rid of flood water, promptly dealing with mold and rot and restoring your basement environment to previous conditions. That experience level makes the difference between you going through a traumatic, frantic experience – or you sitting back, breathing easier and watching professionals take over the situation.

Your electronics, photos and other items that are hard or impossible to replace, in many cases, can be restored or recovered. For instance, it’s possible that the data on the hard drive of your computer can be recovered. This however would be very unlikely if you just call the fire department or a standard plumber. Basement waterproofing and flood experts have the tools, skills and experience needed to restore your peace of mind after finding your basement flooded.

A seasoned, experienced basement waterproofing company can quickly move into place to offer excellent service, warranty-covered products and individualized solutions for your particular basement flooding situation.

Professional waterproofing companies like Rika Construction, Inc. can affordably assist your family through even the most severe basement flooding scenarios. Truly caring customer service representatives are always available to answer your questions and guide you. Remember that times of heavy raining are some of the busiest times for the industry, so be sure to call at your earliest convenience.

Call Rika Construction, Inc. today at 973 732 0023, or email us, and speak with our friendly, helpful customer support representatives.