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Our Suggested Home Repairs To Complete Before Fall

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Home Repairs To Complete Before Fall
Home Repairs To Complete Before Fall

Every year, we urge our customers in the Chicagoland area to get their homes ready. We know all too well how a Midwest winter affects our roads, so just imagine what it’s doing to your home. With rain, wind, snow, and ice, our homes take one heck of a beating throughout the year. The worst part is if you don’t take action now, you might have problems inside your home too. We put together a list of our suggested home repairs to complete before fall below.

Clean or Replace Gutters and Downspouts

The easiest repair and maintenance tip we can offer is to clean your gutters and downspouts, as doing so prevents mold and water overflow. Once fall is in full swing, your gutters are going to fill with leaves constantly. That said, you should ensure your gutters and downspouts are clean and in good shape before fall. If your gutters or downspouts are bent, dented, or corroding, you need to replace them to prevent clogs. While a few leaves in your gutter might not seem like a big deal, it can lead to some major issues. 

Think about it: if your gutters and downspouts are clogged, then the water has nowhere to go. If water has nowhere to, it’ll simply overflow from your gutters and saturate the ground around your foundation. Moisture and standing water are two of your foundation’s worst enemies because they can lead to cracks, allow the foundation to shift, and permit water to enter the basement.

Fill Cracks in Your Basement and Foundation

Like we mentioned before, cracks in your foundation or basement are no joke. Depending on the direction of the crack, there could be a variety of issues going on with your foundation. Either way, you need to seal the cracks properly. Don’t make the mistake of calling a general contractor because most of them will charge you a permanent price for a temporary fix. A professional basement solutions service like The Real Seal knows that a general concrete crack-filler isn’t going to cut it. We have a three-step process that guarantees to fill your crack for good. Our trained professionals will first clean dirt and debris from the crack. Then we use an epoxy bonding material that seals around the crack, and we finish by injecting an industrial-strength epoxy that seals the crack permanently.

If you don’t repair and fill foundation cracks properly before the weather gets to it, you’re asking for bigger problems in the future. If there are visible cracks in the foundation on the outside of your home, you need to fill them as soon as possible. If you put off filling the cracks, it’ll almost certainly result in more cracks. Moreover, if moisture and water continue to penetrate the foundation, it can negatively affect your home’s structural integrity.

Avoid Window Well Leaks by Installing a Drain

If you have a basement, you probably have at least one window well. While window wells are great for allowing natural light into your otherwise dark basement or because they provide an emergency escape route, they can cause several problems. First and foremost, if you don’t have a window well cover, you need one to prevent water, leaves, and debris from getting down there in the first place. 

If you already have a cover but you’re still finding water building up inside your window well, there’s probably not enough drainage. Some homeowners make the mistake of leaving the water or snow to melt and seep into the ground, but it rarely goes into the ground without unexpected consequences. The pressure of the water or snow on your window can cause it to shatter and give you that indoor waterfall you never wanted. Most (if not all) window wells should have a drain installed to keep your window well from becoming an aquarium. The Real Seal crew has years of experience installing window well drains, so we guarantee that the project will get done on time, the first time around.

Seal the Pipes That Go Through Your Foundation

Every basement has a ton of pipes running through it. Some of those pipes go directly through your foundation, which is normal as long as they’re sealed correctly. Unfortunately, they’re often not. If you notice water trickling down your wall, puddles, stains, or mold, then you might have a pipe penetration issue. Most home builders seal around the pipe with concrete or caulk, which are not permanent fixes, which they may not mention. The Real Seal has a permanent solution for foundation cracks. Our crew begins by cleaning the area and removing the old seal that obviously didn’t work. Then we proceed by sealing around the pipe with an epoxy. Finally, we finish by injecting a polyurethane epoxy that fills the crack and pushes any excess water out. As always, we guarantee the job will be done right the first time.

Read more – Solutions for Pipe Penetration Issues

How To Waterproof Your Basement

Fall or not, every homeowner in the Chicagoland area needs to waterproof their basement. Between the spring and summer storms and the famous Chicago winters, keeping water out of your basement is crucial. That said, you shouldn’t attempt to waterproof your basement yourself, despite what you might read elsewhere, as it’s not a straightforward process. Hiring a professional crew is vital to waterproofing your basement properly. Luckily, waterproofing basements is one of The Real Seal’s specialties, and because we’re from Chicago, we know all about foundation and basement issues that affect houses in this region.

Although fall seems far away, it’s not. You shouldn’t wait on specific projects; that’s why we gave you a list of home repairs to complete before fall. Now, we know what you’re thinking: “My home to-do list is already long enough!” Trust us; we get it. Not to mention, there’s nothing worse than thinking you completed a project only to find weeks or months later that it wasn’t done properly.

You don’t have time to try to figure out what went wrong. That’s why we’re here. Let The Real Seal take the complex work off your plate. Whether you need assistance with a window well, pipe penetration, drain tile, or basement waterproofing in Chicago, we’ve got you covered. 

The Real Seal crew is different than other companies for a few reasons. First, we have extensive experience completing a variety of repairs successfully. Second, we’ll actually arrive when we say we will and get the job done right the first time. And finally, we take pride in helping our customers stop their leaks and foundation issues. We’ll follow up with you after our service to make sure you’re satisfied and the job was completed. In other words, we stand behind our work and love serving our customers, so what are you waiting for? Call us today to set up your appointment.

Home Repairs

WRITTEN BY

Austin Werner

Austin Werner is the Owner of The Real Seal LLC, a basement waterproofing and foundation repair company. Austin believes that having a highly trained and happy team is the key to success. This is reflected through hundreds of 5 star customer reviews his company has received online.

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