French drains definitely need TLC—seen plenty of soggy basements from neglected ones. Another overlooked tip: closed-cell spray foam insulation in flood-prone areas. Bit pricier upfront, but worth it to avoid moldy drywall nightmares later...trust me on this one.
"Bit pricier upfront, but worth it to avoid moldy drywall nightmares later...trust me on this one."
Haha, preach! Learned this the hard way after our basement turned into a mini-swamp. Closed-cell foam was a lifesaver—my wallet cried at first, but my sinuses thanked me later. Totally worth it.
Wish I'd seen this thread sooner. We went with fiberglass insulation to save a few bucks, and after the first big storm, it was like a soggy sponge down there. Spent way more ripping it out and redoing everything than if we'd just gone with closed-cell foam from the start. Lesson learned, I guess...sometimes being cheap costs you more in the long run.
Did you notice any mold issues after the fiberglass got soaked? We had a similar experience in our historic place—went fiberglass initially because it seemed straightforward, but after one bad flood, it was a nightmare. Ended up switching to closed-cell foam too. Curious if anyone's tried mineral wool insulation in flood-prone basements...heard it's water-resistant but haven't seen many real-world examples yet.
We had fiberglass insulation in our basement too, and yeah, after one flood it was a soggy mess. Never tried mineral wool, but I've heard the same thing about its water resistance. Wonder if it's actually worth the extra cost, though... closed-cell foam sounds great but the price tag makes me hesitate. Has anyone found a middle-ground solution that's budget-friendly but still holds up decently after flooding?
