video: Minnesota Basements Causing Big Problems

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May 3, 2007 11:18 pm US/Central

Minnesota Basements Causing Big Problems

Terri Gruca

Reporting

WCCO Minneapolis/St.

http://wcco.com/local/local_story_123141004.html

(WCCO) Home combined the best of both worlds for Suzanne Judd -- a

place where her budding sewing business intertwined with the fabric

of her family.

" It was always my dream to have a nice sewing office that I could

leave things out, " said Judd.

The basement of her Waseca, Minn. home was the perfect place. Her

twin daughters even lived down there.

" They slept in the two bedrooms that are downstairs and they had

multiple ear infections and sinus infections, " said Judd.

Those are the same symptoms she's suffered for years. Her constant

bouts of bronchitis and pneumonia went unexplained. Doctors told her

there was no way to know if it was caused by her home. Since she'd

moved from dry Arizona to the muggy Midwest, she didn't think much

about it.

She said, " All you hear is oh, everybody has wet basements. "

Moisture Problems Plague Older And Newer Homes

Judd's basement is like many in Minnesota plagued by moisture

problems. One reason is our extreme weather. Another reason is

traditional building standards have not solved the issues.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota found moisture problems

not only in older homes, but in hundreds of newer homes constructed

in the 1990s.

Of the 400 homes the " U " studied, " Basically half the houses had two

or more significant moisture issues associated with them, " said Pat

Hellman, head of the Cold Climate Housing Center at the University

of Minnesota.

Researchers there study ways to make our homes more efficient,

durable and healthy.

" Reality is we use basements differently, " said Hellman.

How Finished Basements Turn Into Sponges

Nowadays people treat basements as living spaces, not storage

spaces. If you've noticed spotting along any unfinished walls,

chances are water's seeped in at some point.

Adding materials like wood, fiberglass and drywall on top of that

can turn your finished basement into a big sponge, because all of

those materials soak in the water and almost act like food for mold.

Different Finishing Materials Can Make Basements Dry

It's why builder ey has changed the way he constructs

basements.

" What we're using is a Styrofoam product with a foil face and metal

studs, " said ey.

On top of that he puts drywall that has no paper front or back,

which he said can sometimes serve as food for mold. That drywall

also does not require tape or mud.

The materials and the construction process he uses meet state

building codes. They can be found in most hardware stores and it all

costs about the same. The difference, ey said, is in the

performance.

" If any moisture does get in here, then it can dry out, " he said.

ey has been building and renovating basements using these

materials for 15 years. He started when searching for solutions for

his own allergies and found a lot of commercial construction uses

these same techniques.

New Home Building Methods

When it comes to newer homes, the University of Minnesota has found

other ways to keep water out. Like using poured concrete instead of

concrete block for the basement walls. On top of the poured concrete

builders apply waterproofing material then foam board insulation.

It's not the typical way people are used to. This all goes on the

outside surface of the basement walls.

That not only helps keep moisture out, but it also makes your

basement more comfortable and warmer on the inside.

What We're Doing Wrong

You might not want to hear this, but until all homes are built using

these techniques, it may be best to rethink how you use your

basement.

Hellman said, " It's just kind-of defining usable a little

differently than we do upstairs where it's wall to wall carpet. "

He said that means leaving the basement floor unfinished -- no

carpeting, no flooring -- just concrete, which is something Judd is

learning the hard way.

After 11 years of wondering, she now thinks she knows what's been

making her family sick. Tests show the black stuff on her baseboards

is in fact mold.

" Obviously, there's been water that we didn't know about, " she

said. " This is serious; I believe it's life threatening. "

Judd has pulled up all the carpeting in her basement and she now

sews upstairs in her dining room. The family is working on fixing

the water problems that have plagued their basement in hopes that in

will make them all healthy.

You can find more tips on how to prevent moisture and mold problems

in your own basement in Terri's blog.