Basement waterproofing and crawl space repair in St. Matthews, KY

Homes in St. Matthews

Older homes, a creek through the middle, and basements that were never meant to be finished

St. Matthews grew up between the 1920s and the 1960s, and most of its housing stock still dates from then: brick Cape Cods and ranches off Shelbyville Road, Westport Road and Breckenridge Lane, many with block basements that were built as utility space and have since become family rooms and bedrooms. The Middle Fork of Beargrass Creek winds through the whole area, and the neighborhoods near it have a long flooding history.

Louisville sits on heavy clay over limestone. The clay holds water against foundations for days after a storm, and the limestone underneath is riddled with channels that move groundwater in ways nobody can see from the surface. In St. Matthews that shows up as water at the cove joint after a hard rain, efflorescence on block walls, and crawl spaces under the 1950s ranches that stay damp all summer. Interior drainage systems with a sealed sump handle most of these basements; the crawl spaces usually need a vapor barrier or a full encapsulation with a dehumidifier.