The mild spring conditions Toronto residents have recently experienced is a welcome retreat from the harsh bitter winter we’ve just endured. The spring thaw has eradicated most if not all of those unsightly snow banks, which gives Torontoers a clear indication that spring has finally arrived.
Now with spring here, you might be thinking about replacing your windows if they’re older or if you’ve experienced leakage issues during the winter months. If the leak has been continuing for some time, the frame around the window is likely damaged and/or rotted which if that’s the case; it will also need to be replaced. Many older homes in Toronto and the rest of the GTA weren’t designed and constructed to have livable basements.
Now that spring is just about here – officially starting Thursday March 20th, many homeowners might be delighted to welcome the spring thaw. With the gradual rise in temperatures we here in Toronto are beginning to experience, some of us may be concerned about what effect this winter’s extreme cold and frost has had on their house.
Eavestroughs or gutters as they’re commonly known in the U.S. are part of a home’s water drainage system and consist of a series of narrow channels installed against the edge of a home’s roof – collecting and diverting rainwater that’s shed by the roof. Water collected by the eavestrough is normally fed through a downspout from the roof edge to the base of your house where it is either discharged via runoff or collected.
Frequent rain is common in Toronto during the rainy months of the year which can saturate the soil surrounding your house. If you keep a lush front yard or backyard requiring regular irrigation, this will also contribute to another source of water that the soil surrounding your house will be taking in.
Most people living the GTA will remember the flood of July 2013, where thousands of houses experienced flooded basements and power outages. The record breaking rains affected more households than ever making this the most costly natural disaster Ontario has ever seen. The Insurance Bureau of Canada reported a whopping $850 million in property damage.
Regardless of where you live in the GTA, houses with sump pumps have a reduced risk of basement flooding. The mechanism behind the successful operation of a sump pump involves a sump pit which collects excess water coming from a home’s weeping tile. The rising water in the sump pit starts the sump pump which drains the sump pit through the discharge pipe, taking the water away from your house.
Finishing your basement may have been at the top of your priority list when you originally purchased your house and if this is the year you plan to do it, make sure you do it right the first time to save money and heartache in the future. Exposed foundation tells you the story of the past and the future of your basement.
The bitterly cold winter the GTA has endured thus far might be getting you to think far from basement leaks; those only happen in the rainy season right? Wrong. Basement moisture, wall leakage or a flooded basement can occur year round as frozen snow can quickly melt and make its way through foundation cracks right into your basement.
Heavy snow followed by flash thaws – what does it all mean for your house and basement? The periods of melting snow Toronto and surrounding areas have experienced over the past few weeks might seem like a nice break from the back breaking driveway snow shoveling and snow clearing from the car each morning, but with it can also bring problems to your house and basement.
