The foundation carries the weight of an entire building. As it’s considered the backbone of a building, repairing damaged foundations can also be expensive and a real hassle. Therefore, it’s essential to do regular maintenance and keep your foundation healthy!
With the new year approaching, it’s an excellent time to plan maintenance for your foundation to ensure your home stays solid and functional. Here are a few tips to prepare your foundation for the upcoming year.
- Ask a Plumber to Inspect
Under-slab leaks typically occur in freshwater lines, sprinkler systems, sewer lines, and other parts of your plumbing system and can lead to various foundation problems. Call a plumber to check if there is any plumbing leak in or around your home.
- Check Your Structure’s Slope
You need to ensure the yard around your house isn’t too flat or sloping toward your home. The yard should slope away from the home, keeping water away. Experts recommend a 2% or ¼ inch per foot slope. Grading a yard like this helps prevent foundation damage.
- Invest in Good Foundation Drainage
Your home requires a proper drainage system to prevent foundation upheaval, which can lead to structural damage.
- Install an Automated Sprinkler System
Geographic areas like Dallas and Fort Worth have expansive clay soils, which often move a lot. This solid movement can cause misalignment of windows and doors, cracks in walls, and uneven floors. Using an automated sprinkler system to keep the soil under your house at a consistent moisture level can help prevent such issues.
- Avoid Planting Large Trees Near the House
Big trees can damage plumbing systems, pavement, backyards, and foundations if planted too close to the home’s foundation — especially in areas with expansive clay soils. You might also consider installing a root barrier to prevent your trees from harming the foundation.
Advanced Foundation Repair offers best-in-class foundation repair services, harnessing our 100-plus years of experience and utilizing the latest technology. We provide many services, including drainage, root barriers, foundation watering, under-slab tunneling, plumbing, and foundation heaving and leak repair.
Contact us today for a complimentary foundation inspection by certified technicians.