Across the line: Wheat Ridge versus northwest Denver

Typical Wheat Ridge ranch

  • Built mostly in the 1950s and 1960s
  • Poured concrete or block foundations
  • Crawlspaces or full basements built as part of the design
  • Permits through the City of Wheat Ridge

Typical Berkeley or Regis home

  • Many built from the 1910s through the 1940s
  • Brick or early concrete foundations
  • Basements sometimes dug out later, with low ceilings
  • Permits through the City and County of Denver

Old basements, new finishes

Berkeley and Regis, in Denver's northwest corner near Tennyson Street, Regis University and the lakes in Rocky Mountain Lake and Berkeley parks, are known for brick bungalows, Denver squares, Tudors and early ranches. Many basements were never meant to be living space. Some were cellars under part of the house that were later dug out, with walls that are a patchwork of brick, rubble and newer concrete.

Those walls let moisture through by design: older masonry breathes. Problems start when the space is finished with drywall and carpet tight against the masonry, or when a sealed coating traps moisture behind it. Add a vintage clay sewer line under a big tree, and a basement that seemed fine for decades can turn musty fast.

What to check in an older northwest Denver home

  • Efflorescence, flaking brick or damp patches on basement walls
  • Framed walls built tight against masonry without an air gap
  • Carpet laid directly on old concrete floors
  • Sewer line age and condition, especially under mature trees
  • Original windows and wells at basement level
  • Old plaster, flooring and pipe or boiler insulation that should be tested before removal

Approaching mold in a dug-out basement

  1. Find the water

    Distinguish between masonry dampness, a plumbing leak, a sewer backup history and condensation before planning removal.

  2. Test old materials

    Have suspect materials sampled for asbestos before demolition in a pre-1950 basement.

  3. Contain and remove

    Remove moldy finishes inside containment, leaving masonry exposed so it can dry.

  4. Rebuild to let masonry breathe

    Ask about moisture-tolerant materials and keeping a gap between framing and old walls.

Map of Berkeley and Regis. It shows an area, not an office or a job site.

Common questions

Should I seal my old brick basement walls?
Be cautious. Coatings on old masonry can trap moisture and push it elsewhere, such as into mortar or framing. Fix exterior drainage first, and ask a contractor familiar with older masonry before coating anything.

General information for Wheat Ridge, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.