Basement Walk Outs in Toronto
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Are you looking for a separate entrance to your basement to avoid tracking mud through the house, or to not disturb the other occupants if you need to come and go at irregular hours? Get in touch with MMT Waterproofing Inc. to discuss our basement walkout service.
What Is A Basement Walk Out?
An entrance straight into the basement from the outside can be quite useful for houses in Toronto, given the climatic conditions that we need to deal with. However, there is quite a process that goes into ensuring this basement walk out is up to standards.
For instance, retaining walls will need to be built along the excavation to avoid a mini landslide, and you’ll need to install a handrail along the stair way. Also, it would be a good idea to install a guard rail along the entrance to the walk-out, so that people don’t slip and fall in during low-visibility. Another thing to consider is a drainage system to prevent water building up in the stair well, and a raised threshold to prevent any water that is present from seeping into the basement.
As you can see, basement walk-outs are as tricky to build as they are simple to describe. They should be inspected with caution especially if added after the initial basement construction. Basement walk-outs have to resist frost and lateral soil pressure more than anything else. If you’re planning on having a basement walk out constructed, turn to the experts at MMT Waterproofing Inc. for help!
A separate entrance to your basement
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Issues With Basement Walk Outs
As we’ve already mentioned, having a basement walk out installed is relatively tricky, and the following issues are things that must be factored in. Namely:
Soil Pressure: soil exerts a fair amount of pressure on your foundations and retaining walls, and wet soil even more so. This is why it’s important that all retaining walls are constructed in such a way that they won’t buckle or be displaced under the pressure of waterlogged or frozen soil.
Frost Protection: given the weather conditions in Canada, basement walk outs must have adequate frost protection. Did you know that simply by having a basement, frost can penetrate deeper into the foundations of your home? If not accounted for, this can pose a significant risk of damage as a result of frost heaving. To minimize these risks, good surface water management which includes surface drainage and free draining soils is needed.
Lowered Footings: It is a huge job to underpin the house foundation and footings in the vicinity of the walkout when adding a basement walkout to an existing house. In addition, much care must be taken to install proper insulation prior to building the walk out to prevent frost heaving. Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to know if there is an issue until it’s too late – so we tend to always err on the side of caution.
Perimeter Drainage: during the installation of a basement walkout the perimeter drainage tile system is often compromised. It’s always a good idea to extend and reroute the drainage system around the basement once construction is complete, and then flooding the area to see if there are any issues that need to be resolved urgently.
If you want to learn more, give the experts at MMT Waterproofing Inc. a call today.
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