Moisture control costs

Have you noticed that there’s moisture in the walls of your house? In that case, you should address this problem as soon as possible. Moisture in your home not only has a negative effect on the appearance of your walls, it can also lead to the formation of fungi that are harmful to health. Are you thinking about solving the moisture problems in your home? In that case, don’t hesitate any longer, read on and find out exactly how much it costs.

How much does moisture control cost?

Moisture control can be carried out in different ways. For example, a preventive measure can be applied, but you can also opt to combat an existing moisture problem. The average cost charged for moisture control is shown in the table below:

Type of moisture control Project Average cost price
Rising moisture (the type of moisture control in this situation is injection) Injection of an external wall of 26 linear foot About 820 dollars
Injection of the inner and outer cavity wall of 26 linear foot About 1.580 dollars
Repairing and injecting a wall of 26 foot. About 2.345 dollars
Breakthrough moisture (this is not injecting, but impregnating) Impregnation of the outer wall (1076 square feet) About 930 dollars
Cleaning and impregnation of a facade (1076 square feet). About 1.880 dollars
Grouting, cleaning and impregnation of a facade (1076 square feet). About 3.220 dollars
Cellar sealing Cellar sealing The complete waterproofing of a cellar with a maximum area of 172 square feet. About 2.130 dollars

 

The table above should give a clear picture of the average costs charged for moisture control. However, the solutions below will clarify this even better.

The cheapest solution can be applied when the wall is still in a good condition. In other words, it doesn’t need to be cleaned first, allowing a specialist to start impregnating or injecting immediately. This is especially true for a new building. After all, in this situation, people have their facades impregnated in order to prevent possible moisture problems. If you wish to apply this method of moisture control, it’ll cost about 930 dollars for 1076 square feet.

Of all the different types of moisture, rising damp is the most common. In order to stop this type of moisture, you need to have the walls injected. In this case, a special moisture-resistant gel is injected into the wall by a specialist. This gel will then ensure that any rising damp no longer has a chance. If you have a cavity wall, it must also be injected on the inside. The total cost of this project is about 1,580 dollars.

In some cases it’s necessary to have the wall repaired before a specialist can start the actual moisture control. If your wall has cracks, crevices or bad jointing, the moisture will always find a way to make its way inside the house. For repairing joints, cleaning the wall and impregnating the facade, they’ll charge about 3,220 dollars for 1076 square foot. Should the wall be injected rather than impregnated? This’ll costs about 2,345 dollars.

Impregnate costs

Impregnate is making the walls water-repellent. Water can no longer penetrate the walls, reducing the amount of moisture in the house. Impregnation can be done by yourself. Make sure that you have a logical order of work. Impregnating agents are transparent, which means that you cannot see which parts of the wall you’ve already treated. Of course it is also possible to have the walls impregnated, so you don’t have to do it yourself. You pay between 7 and 11 dollars per 11 square feet. Keep in mind that the walls must be clean, otherwise the impregnating agent will not adhere properly. The costs of this cleaning are not included in the mentioned price.

The price structure of moisture control

The price structure of moisture control consists of two parts. The material cost is by far the highest. This accounts for 80 per cent of the total cost. The remaining 20 percent is for labor costs. In certain situations you may be able to choose to carry out the moisture control yourself, but in fact this is not recommended. A specialist has special equipment and also has all the products that are necessary to be able to solve your moisture problem at his disposal.

Choices that affect the costs of moisture control

A not inconsiderable part of the cost for moisture control depends on you. Different choices you make can either increase or decrease the cost price. We’d like to list these choices for you:

Choice 1: The technique

In the majority of cases, it’s not easy to determine the exact cause and severity of the moisture problem. For this reason, it is always advisable to have a specialist carry out a so-called moisture measurement. Such a measurement (the cost varies from 0 to 55 dollars) can determine which type of moisture control is necessary for your situation. In the table below we list all possible techniques including their cost price:

Type of moisture control Information Average cost price
Injecting This is for rising moisture which is absorbed into the wall via cracks, crevices and poor pointing from the ground. This moisture problem can be combated by choosing the injection technique. In this situation, a kind of moisture-resistant gel is injected into the wall under high pressure. About 105 – 110 dollars per 3 feet
Impregnating In case of penetrating moisture, impregnation is the perfect solution. When impregnating, a moisture-repellent layer is applied to the exterior wall of the house. This ensures that moisture can no longer penetrate into the house. About 10 – 12 dollars per 3 feet
Basement sealing You should bear in mind that a basement is one of the most humid places in a house. In order to ensure that the cellar is dry again, it is necessary to have it sealed. In most cases, sealing takes place by applying several layers of cement to the cellar walls. Injection or coating can also protect a cellar from moisture problems. About 130 – 135 dollars per 3 feet

 

Choice 2: Have mold removed

Have the moisture problems in your home manifested themselves and has this caused mold on the walls? In that case you’ll want to have them removed as soon as possible. Mold not only affects the appearance of your walls, it is also very bad for your health. The removal of mold will cost about 160 dollars per 32 square feet.

Choice 3: Repairing the wall

In most cases, moisture problems are caused by a bad or damaged wall. Moisture can get through cracks and crevices in the joint. Having the joint repaired ensures that the moisture problem is tackled and, moreover, the wall will continue to be protected against such problems in the future. A price of between 20 and 26 dollars per 11 square feet is charged for the grouting of a wall. The material is included in this price.

Moisture Guzzlers

An alternative to moisture control can be moisture guzzlers. These systems can often be bought for a few dollars at the local hardware store, and that makes them very cheap solutions. Keep in mind that this is really only about symptom control; you don’t prevent the moisture from getting into the house at all.

Quotations

It is important to request more than one quotation if you wish to have one or more walls impregnated. The costs can often be very different, which makes it worthwhile to compare quotations from various companies. Moreover, there is often still something to be done about the price, so that with some negotiating skills you can still be a lot cheaper. As mentioned before, the price for impregnating walls is between 7 and 11 dollars per 11 square feet, which means that the costs for a larger wall will quickly increase. This is precisely why it is worth asking for multiple offers and to bargain.