Basement Garage in Ottawa
Nepean General Contractors was contacted by a client who was looking to have some work done on their property relating to an underground garage. The garage no longer had a garage door and had been converted to a workshop with French doors for access.
Concrete Demolition
The client contacted us about some poorly done concrete work that was throughout the perimeter of the house. Because the concrete work had been done improperly, it was trapping water against the house structure and causing significant rot throughout. Part of a poorly installed block foundation wall was also caving in and in desperate need of repair.
We began by removing the failing concrete around the perimeter of the house and hauled it off to dispose of it. Once the concrete had been removed, the client needed to make a decision about what to do about the basement entrance. The subsurface entrance was notorious for ice build up in the winter since the snow and ice had nowhere else to drain to and water was often trapped at the base of the driveway after a heavy rainfall event in the summer.
Basement Entrance Fill In
After consulting with the experts, the client made the difficult decision to fill in the basement entrance. A structural engineer was brought in to review the conditions and provide a design, which was then implemented by Nepean General Contractors. The design included waterproofing the front and side of the basement foundation; backfilling the area with gravel, and finally establishing a driveway at the surface for the homeowner to park their car.
The Problem with Basement Garages in Ottawa
While below grade garages seem like a great idea in principal – unfortunately they’re not very compatable with the Ottawa area climate. Ottawa winters involve relatively significant amounts of snow and ice. When this snow and ice melt in the spring, water is often trapped at the basement entrance to the garage – since there’s generally no where else for the water to flow. While grates and pipe networks can be installed to help – they are susceptible to clogging – and are generally useless in the spring months as they’re generally frozen.
Every year, Nepean General Contractors receives dozens of calls and emails from homeowners with basement garages experiencing flooding issues (and not just in the spring!). The thing is – water wants to flow downhill – and when your garage is at the bottom of that hill – the water, snow and ice are going to end up in front of or sometimes even inside of your basement garage.
If you’re experiencing constant flooding with your basement garage, it may be time to consider an alternative option. Converting a basement garage to a playroom or family room will give you more living space – and less drainage problems.
How Can We Help?
At Nepean General Contractors, we have a variety of equipment. This allowed us the luxury of being able to choose the best tools for the job. We own our own dump trucks, which means we can efficiently haul off or bring in material; rather than waiting on rented trucks. We also own both excavators and skid steers – which means we aren’t stuck waiting on rented equipment. This allows us the affordability of controlling our schedule and getting projects done efficiently from the get-go!
Contact Nepean General Contractors Today
Contact us today to discuss how we can help with your project. Fill out our contact form (to the right on desktop – or below on mobile) and we will get back to you within 1-2 business days. If you haven’t heard from us – check your spam filter!
