5 Tips On Protecting Your Home’s Foundation 

The foundation of your home is critical to its structural integrity. Without it, your house may fall down or deteriorate completely. Maintaining your home’s foundation can be simple, but it requires constant attention and care to avoid damage and expensive repairs down the road. Follow these 5 tips to help protect your home’s foundation during construction. 

1. Install A Catch Basin

Installing a catch basin is one of the best ways to prevent water damage and protect your home’s foundation during construction processes. It’s a simple solution to drainage issues and can also significantly increase your property’s resale value. These basins sit in the lower part of a drain field and work to catch and move rainwater away from your property. They’re also effective at preventing leaves and debris from entering your storm sewer system, which can help reduce service issues in the future. Before installing a catch basin, you’ll need to choose the right location for it and prepare the surface. This involves excavating to the proper depth and bedding with gravel or sand. 

2. Install A Drainage System

When it rains, water can pool around your foundation and cause damage to the structure. Having a good drainage system can help prevent soil erosion by removing excess water from the soil. A drainage system can also help keep your home safe by preventing water from entering the basement and crawl space. This can help prevent the formation of dangerous mold and mildew that can lead to health problems. 

3. Plant Trees Far From The House

Your home foundation is a critical component of your house and the surrounding landscape. It provides a barrier from moisture, insulation from cold and protection from shifting soil. However, tree roots can invade your foundation, leading to cracks and settling. The best way to protect your foundation from this problem is to plant trees far from the house. This is especially true for deciduous trees, like boxelder, silver maple, and black locust. Also avoid evergreens with invasive roots, such as Brewer’s weeping spruce, Crimean pine, and Norway spruce. 

4. Maintain A Healthy Soil

The soil around your home’s foundation is the underlying support for all of its structural components. When the soil shifts, it can push or crack your foundation. During periods of drought, the soil can dry out and shrink. When this happens, water will move into cracks and cause damage. Healthy soils are teeming with beneficial microorganisms and provide nutrients to plants without the need for off-farm supplements. These microbes help control pests and disease, recycle nutrients, and form symbiotic relationships with plant roots. 

5. Maintain A Proper Slope

A proper slope can help keep the soil in place and prevent landslides. Engineers have a number of ways to improve slope stability, including flattening and buttressing earthwork, diverting water through catch basins or sealing tension cracks. Slopes can also be stabilized with structural enhancements such as tie backs, reticulated micropiles, and soil nailing. However, this is usually a last resort and requires significant time and money. 

Categorised in: Foundations

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