A concrete contractor is going to concentrate on making your basement as much like a normal floor as possible. He does not want it to feel at all like what you probably think of as a basement: A damp, dark space that you really do not want to use any more than you have to. Instead, he wants to make it feel just like any other level of the house, a place that you can use for living and fun as much as you use it for storage. There are a number of things that go into doing this, but two of the most important things for your concrete contractor to consider are waterproofing and insulating the space.

Waterproofing is necessary for any basement, and a concrete contractor in Cicero, Illinois, knows that this will be one of the largest challenges. The basement has to be entirely resistant to water, even when it is completely underground. If you live in an arid part of town, there may not be much groundwater, but most areas have rivers flowing constantly beneath the soil. The land also becomes saturated when it rains or when the snow melts at the end of the winter. The contractor has to put waterproofing compounds on the interior walls at the end of the project to make sure that no water gets inside.

As far as insulation goes, the concrete contractor can add foam blocks while he is making the foundation. These have connecting pieces right on them, so they snap together. The concrete is then poured directly on top of them. The interior insulation prevents heat from escaping quickly through the concrete, something that would otherwise be possible. Your basement will retain heat far more effectively so that you can use it all year around.