The Crackman has talked about stone foundation repointing, repair, and resurfacing in the past, but he's never talked about using a stone foundation as a vegetable garden. Is this something new?
Narrator: It’s time once again for the “Crack Man Podcast” hosted by A1 Foundation Crack Repair. I’m Darren Kincaid here with the Crack Man himself, Rich Comeras. Rich has 30 years’ experience in the construction industry and over 25 years as the president and founder of A1 Foundation Crack Repair. This podcasts provides expert basement waterproofing, concrete repair, and preventative maintenance tips for homeowners and businesses. A1 Foundation’s valuable insight will help avert a disastrous flood within the basement, health problems associated with water infiltration, and protect your biggest investment….your home. The topic of today’s podcast: Help! I have things growing out of my stone foundation in Bolton, MA.
Narrator: So, Rich, you talked about stone foundation repointing, repair, and resurfacing in the past but I don’t believe you’ve ever talked about using a stone foundation as a vegetable garden. Is this something new?
Rich: Well, I’ve seen it before. I got a call from a woman in Bolton, MA because she has been noticing that there’s been powdery material on the floor and that the mortar in between the stones is starting to powder. She’s getting worried that it’s coming in.
So we came out, took a look at it, and you know this woman has been in the basement quite often. In fact she said she’s been in there just four days prior. We went downstairs, and lo and behold what we saw was on about a quarter of one wall, there were mushrooms growing out of it. Well this is a great environment for mushrooms to grow because the soil has actually washed into some of the voids between the stones where there was mortar, where mushrooms had a source of nutrients and some seeds. Mushroom seeds or something must’ve been around there, and these mushrooms they like a cold moist place to grow. And they were growing on the wall, in fact if you take a look, I’m going to put some pictures up on our blog and you’ll be able to see what I’m talking about. So she had more than mushrooms growing, she had rodents coming in also. So what we’re going to do is we’re going to clean out in between the stones, we’re going to then repoint, which means to put mortar back in between the stones which is going to help the structural integrity of the foundation. It’s going to stop the cold air coming in, and moist air coming in during the different seasons, and it’s going to stop the rodents. So I guess the moral of the story is don’t wait to get mushrooms growing. If you need repointing, get it done before so you’re not going to be having high energy bills and mice coming in.
Narrator: Absolutely. Well very interesting, Rich. I guess it’s better to use one stone foundation for its design purpose and not for more exotic purposes, as we should say.
Narrator: If you have a basement water problem and think you need a professional, or, if you’d like more information on foundation crack repair and basement waterproofing topics, please visit A1FoundationCrackRepair.com or call Rich at (866) 929-3171. Or you can email Rich at info@a1foundationcrackrepair.com. Thanks for listening and keep that basement dry.