When homes were built a century ago, the materials and techniques available to builders were good for the time, but a lack of contemporary materials such as plastic piping, block materials and excavating machinery prevented them from effectively protecting structures from water damage and leakage. Today, there are thousands upon thousands of homeowners whose properties are many decades old, but that doesn't prevent them from affordably taking advantage of current basement waterproofing technology. And while some older homes may require a complete basement overhaul in order to rival the waterproofing of more modern houses, you may be surprised at how little you actually have to do to put some preventative measures in place.

Today's builders use an exact science involving plastic footer drains that draw water away from a home, sump crocks, new wall materials and electric pumps that keep basements from getting flooded by water in over-saturated ground. Even modern homes, though, often suffer from poor workmanship that still needs to be corrected by more professional companies. Ironically, it's often some of the larger basement waterproofing companies that make more frequent mistakes, due to demanding workloads and employees in a rush to finish work quickly. The work of smaller local companies can be every bit as professional, thorough and fairly priced.

If you're a consumer who recently purchased a new home and discover that there are fundamental problems with the basement waterproofing job that was performed, your repair work may take a significant investment to reinstall necessary in-ground components. Luckily, new technology involving drain cameras and clog locating devices make identifying problems much easier than it was a few decades ago. The more a company has to demolish in order to find your primary problem, the less it will cost you to repair your basement waterproofing job.

As for older homes that never had a complete basement waterproofing system installed in the first place, or whose current system is becoming less reliable with age, there are several different levels of work you might have done. Installation or replacement of footer drains, while vital in some rare cases, might not be completely necessary in others. By contacting several basement waterproofing customers in your area and getting free estimates, you should get a good idea of the extent it will take to make your home impervious to water damage again.

Don't just stop at the phone book when looking for basement waterproofing companies, either. Some smaller local companies that don't have the budget to advertise in larger markets still have modern equipment and professional employees on hand. By using all resources, including the Internet and word-of-mouth from neighbors who have had their basement waterproofed recently, you may end up saving time and money on a necessary bit of maintenance.