Basements and foundations.
Before living in the bottom of the house, it has to be sound.
The order of things
A basement finished over a moisture problem is a basement to redo. That isn't an opinion, it's a matter of timing: drywall, insulation and floating floor hide the problem for two to five years, then it comes back out, and everything has to be demolished to go fix it.
That's why we always look in the same order. First the French drain, the presence of active cracks, the level and condition of the slab, the existing ventilation. Only then do we talk about dividing spaces, insulation and finishing.
When the diagnosis is good, finishing is nothing complicated. When it's bad, no finish makes up for it.
What we do
Foundation repair and reinforcement
Cracks, movement, insufficient footings. On older buildings, the repair is done in sections, keeping the load supported at every step.
Drainage and waterproofing
Replacing the French drain, waterproofing membrane, correcting the grade of the lot. A good share of the infiltrations we're called to fix come from a surface problem, not a foundation problem.
Lowering the slab
When the headroom isn't enough for a comfortable living space. It's structural work: the slab and the footings are reworked together, and it requires sealed plans.
Code-compliant insulation
Insulation and vapour barrier installed according to the current code. A poorly insulated basement isn't just cold, it condenses.
Full finish
Partitions, bathroom, bedroom, living space, built-in storage from our workshop.
What we refuse
We don't finish over an active infiltration, even if the client asks for it and signs a waiver. We say so before quoting, not after cashing a deposit.
In some cases the diagnosis shows that the budget should go to drainage rather than finishing. It's an unpleasant conversation and we have it anyway.
The signs that should worry you
A musty smell that comes back in spring. White efflorescence on the concrete. A crack that widens from one year to the next. A floor that's cold in the middle of the room and not only at the edges. An old finished basement whose lower walls have already been repaired once.
None of these signs is catastrophic in itself. They all mean you have to look before you finish.
Saint-Hippolyte cottage
A new foundation on piles, poured under an existing building, on a lakefront.
The original cottage sat on stilts, on soil close to the water table, where shoreline regulations closely govern the footprint of a foundation. The supports had to be widened considerably to spread the load, without extending the footprint.
The building was lifted. A new foundation on piles, about twice as wide as the old one and sized for the final load, was built underneath. The cottage was then set back down, and transformed in phases, in accordance with the permit issued.
Read the case
So, what are we working on?
Eight questions, two minutes. We call you back to talk it through, and we tell you frankly whether it's a project for us or whether you'd be better served elsewhere.