Depew is an older village with housing built close together and a good deal of it dating from the rail era. Small lots, older foundations, and basements that were built for storage.
That combination produces seepage rather than dramatic failures, and it produces it repeatedly rather than once.
What we deal with in Depew homes
Foundation seepage at the wall and floor joint during heavy rain and at the thaw. Efflorescence on the walls is common and it marks the path water has already taken.
Frozen pipes in unheated spaces are the winter counterpart, particularly in properties with an unused upper or a poorly insulated addition.
There is white powder on my basement wall. Is that mold?
No, that is efflorescence, a mineral deposit left when water evaporates through masonry. It is not harmful in itself and it does tell you water is moving through that wall.
It only gets wet during heavy rain. Is that worth fixing?
Yes, because it is the same water each time and it is working on the mortar. Repeated wetting and freezing is what breaks down an old foundation from within.