Your house may seem like it can stand up against everything but this is dependent on its underlying structure. If something damages that, then you will be in big trouble. One notable issue that can come up is when your house starts sinking. This usually means that there is damage to your foundation.
This damage does not appear overnight. A well-made foundation is very durable but even it can break from multiple factors. The first warning signs of structural damage would be cracks in the walls and your basement. If you notice this, you will already need to do some major repairs. Save yourself the money by implementing the following prevention measures in your home.
Start Right
Preventing foundation damage starts from the beginning. If you are building a house from the ground up, you can influence how the foundation is put down. You have to remember to properly embed the foundation, two inches below the brick line. You need to compact the soil around it so that the water and moisture don’t seep in. It provides another barrier against the elements disrupting the foundation. Compacted soils are also stronger and better able to support your home.
Moisture is the reason for aiming to compact the soil. Compaction removes all the little pores in it, so that moisture has a hard time getting in, as well as getting out. When the soil dries out or absorbs moisture faster, then there are abnormal movements in the soil. Either the soil shrinks or contracts. Both of these can result in additional stress on your house’s foundation. Properly preparing the soil for your foundation can eliminate this risk.
Keep Rain Water Away From Your Foundation
Despite embedding your foundation properly, it is still vulnerable. When rainwater comes down from your rood, it can concentrate on the area around your house. With that much water pouring in, it can undermine your foundation. The best approach to avoid this is to install gutters around your roof. Professional installers of seamless rain gutters can ensure that no drop of rainwater will reach your foundation. You can then position the downspouts of the gutters away from your home.
That is only the beginning of your gutters. You should ensure that they are clean so that they won’t clog and develop leaks. This is bad since any leaks or spills will have the water run down the walls of your house to the foundation. Water can seep into your exterior walls and cause stains and internal water damage. The damage to the foundation would be something similar. Prevent this from happening with regular inspections and repairs.
Landscape Properly
Another way to ensure water and moisture don’t mess with your home’s foundations is to do some landscaping. Strong rains can release so much water that flooding can happen. You can avoid this with some changes to your yard. For example, you can create rain gardens to absorb the water and decorate your yard. These gardens are usually lower than the ground around them. This helps gravity to channel the water into them. With an absorbent soil mix and a shallow basin of six inches, the rain garden can accept a lot of water and moisture. You’ll need two feet of special soil that will diffuse the water quickly. Plant water-absorbent plants in the garden to help with the moisture.
Besides creating these landscape constructions, you should also clear the area around your house of water-hungry plants. This is because their roots can be damaging in two ways. First, larger plants and trees have roots that will seek out moisture even those in your drainage pipes. These roots can slowly creep in and punch into your pipes and even walls. Second, water-hungry plants dry out the soil too much. Dry soil becomes too much like sand, which is not the sort of soil that can help support your foundation.
Finally, you want to ensure that the grading of the ground around your home is slanted in the right direction. This means it is either flat or even slanted downward and away from the house. A grade that slopes downward toward your house means that water naturally goes to your house. Get a contractor to help you fix this problem.
Structural damage to your home, especially to your foundation, can be difficult to fix. If you are lucky, you can catch it early so that you can fix it immediately and correct the cause behind it. But your wallet and peace of mind will thank you if you can prevent it all from happening.
