Olivieri & Son are at it again with waterproofing at its best

By Laura Briedis

You can say that Rocco and Mark Olivieri are always on the outside looking in. But that is a good thing. As owners of Olivieri & Son Basement Waterproofing, they tackle problems head on by waterproofing the outside of your home to stop the water from seeping through your basement walls.

“The best way to address basement moisture is to work from the outside in to stop the water from coming through in the first place,” says Rocco, who, along with his son, Mark, has been helping homeowners keep basements dry for almost four decades.

“Many companies waterproof the inside, but that is just putting a bandage on the problem as the water is just being diverted,” explains Mark. “But once the water is in, it’s in. You still have a damp basement, and you still have pressure on your foundation.”

Working together as a team, the father and son duo and their three employees perform all the work themselves and do not employ any subcontractors. Fully licensed, bonded and insured, they have earned a reputation as being able to handle any job—big or small.

To properly waterproof a basement, their tried and true process involves seven steps. First, they excavate your leaky wall all the way to your footer, then pressure wash your foundation to clean the debris and highlight any cracks where moisture may be entering. Then, all cracks are patched and sealed and a layer of rubberized tar and insulation is applied to prevent moisture from entering your wall.

To ensure proper water drainage, they install heavy-duty perforated PVC drainpipe along the footer and provide a cleanout on each wall excavated. They use triple wash stone backfill to direct water to the drain tile and away from your home. The project is completed with a layer of topsoil—not dirt—to make for a nice final landscape.

There usually are clues when there is moisture in your basement, points out Rocco.

“A homeowner will notice moisture on the walls, cracks in the cinder blocks or white effervescence on the wall,” he says. “If you have a finished basement it can be harder to detect moisture problems, but you usually smell mustiness or notice discoloration or buckling in your drywall.”

For one Strongsville homeowner, the problem was obvious as water started to pour through his basement concrete wall last summer after heavy rains.

“When we called Olivieri for a waterproofing estimate, they explained the problem,” says Howard, owner of the home built in the 1970s.

“They showed me how all the backyards on the street were graded downhill toward the homes, and when the water drains toward the home, it has nowhere to go. This built-up water pressure eventually finds the most vulnerable place to blow through, which is what happened to my basement.”

“Although Olivieri was not the lowest estimate, I thought its detailed plan to address the water issue was the best solution,” says Howard, noting that the company also waterproofed his mother’s basement.

“Rocco really is the godfather of waterproofing. He knows exactly where the problem is, how to fix the problem, and there are no gimmicks in between.”

Howard was not only impressed by the company’s expertise, but the care they took. “Before they started the job, they showed me exactly where the machinery was going to come through and where they were going to dig, which happened to be the exact place where I just had replanted new bushes and spread mulch,” notes Howard. “I was amazed that after the waterproofing, you could not even tell they were there and they were able to save all my new landscaping.”

To schedule a free estimate with Olivieri and Son, call 440-342-6844. Check out BasementAndWaterproofing.com.