Wet Finished Basement in South Newfane, VT | Matt Clark's Northern Basement Systems
Challenge
Water was entering the finished basement of this South Newfane, Vermont home. Because the basement already had finished walls, solving the problem required accessing the foundation and floor perimeter without unnecessarily removing the entire finished wall system. Our team determined that a complete interior waterproofing system was needed to manage water entering the basement and carry it safely away from the home—the lower sections of the finished walls needed to be removed to provide access for installation.
Solution
Our crew carefully removed the bottom portion of the finished walls and installed WaterGuard® along the basement perimeter. The CleanSpace® Wall System was installed behind the wall area to direct foundation wall water into WaterGuard. WaterGuard carries collected water to a TripleSafe® Sump Pump System, where it can be pumped out of the basement. The discharge system was completed with IceGuard® and a LawnScape™ outlet to move water away from the foundation. After completing the waterproofing work, new 2x4 lumber was sistered alongside the cut wall studs. This created solid framing for the homeowner to reconstruct the lower portions of the finished walls easily.
Products Installed
• WaterGuard® — A below-floor interior drainage system installed around the basement perimeter to capture water and direct it toward the sump pump system.
• CleanSpace® Wall System — Installed along the foundation walls to intercept wall water and direct it downward into WaterGuard while providing a clean, bright wall surface behind the finished walls.
• TripleSafe® Sump Pump System — A three-pump sump system designed to provide additional pumping capacity and backup protection, including battery-powered protection during a power outage.
• IceGuard® — Installed on the exterior discharge line to allow sump water to escape if the buried discharge line freezes or becomes blocked.
• LawnScape™ Outlet — Provides a discreet termination point for the buried discharge line and releases pumped water away from the home's foundation.
The finished basement now has a complete water-management system working behind the walls and beneath the floor perimeter. By removing only the necessary portions of the finished walls and sistering the cut studs afterward, the basement can be put back together without requiring complete wall reconstruction. This South Newfane project shows that an existing finished basement doesn't have to prevent a comprehensive waterproofing solution. WaterGuard, CleanSpace, TripleSafe, IceGuard, and LawnScape work together to manage water from the point it enters the basement through its final discharge away from the home.
