Foundation issues can be some of the hardest and most expensive home problems to fix—not to mention the most dangerous. After all, your entire house rests on its foundation. As such, a foundation issue can potentially affect numerous other parts of your home as well. To prevent damage from occurring to your home’s foundation—and, as a result, the walls, roof, doors, windows, and other areas of your home—you must take a proactive approach. Here are some effective ways to prevent home foundation issues before they occur.
Improve Your Yard’s Grade
A common cause of foundation issues is water that pools on the soil near the house. Standing water can cause the soil near the foundation to expand, which will put stress on the foundation walls, causing them to crack or shift. Pooled water that backs up along your home’s foundation may also lead to leaks, mold growth, rot, or other issues. As such, it’s important to ensure any water can properly drain away from your home.
One way to do so is by improving the grade of your yard. Using a skid steer and a grapple bucket attachment, you can spread topsoil along the foundation and adjust the slope of the yard to provide better drainage.
Clean and Extend Your Gutters
One of the easiestways to prevent home foundation issues is to clean your gutters regularly. If your gutters become clogged, water can pour over the gutter wall directly onto the soil around your foundation. As we previously stated, excess water can cause the soil around the base of your home to expand and put undue pressure on the foundation. To prevent cracks or other damage from befalling your foundation, make sure to clean your gutters regularly.
In addition, you should ensure the gutters extend far enough away from your home. Ideally, gutters should extend at least three feet away from the foundation on sloped soil. If the land is flat, gutters should extend at least 10 feet to prevent foundation damage.
Dampen the Soil Periodically
Too much water around your home’s foundation can cause a myriad of issues, but too little can also be a problem. If the soil around your home remains too dry for too long, it can shrink significantly. Then, when the next big rain hits, it may expand extensively, which could shift or crack your foundation.
If you live in an extremely dry area or simply haven’t gotten any rain for a long time, consider running a soaker hose or sprinkler system around your house to wet the soil periodically. Doing so will prevent any dramatic contractions or expansions in the soil.
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