Most people take their gutters, downspouts and yard drainage for granted, but these things have an important role to play around your home. They help protect your foundation from being damaged by having too much water constantly accumulate around it. This is something that you should never overlook, and need to take very seriously.
What happens if too much moisture is present around your home’s foundation? For one, it makes the soil that’s found around your home much heavier. Over time this puts much pressure on your foundation to hold the heavier, wet soil back. Eventually it becomes too much and your foundation will start to crack.
Once this happens you will find water starting to seep through your foundation and into your basement if you have one. It will slowly ruin your home’s foundation and cause other problems, too. The only remedy once this happens is excavating around your foundation and reinforcing it. That’s a job that typically runs well over $10,000 or more, depending on the size of your home.
How to Prevent an Expensive Foundation Repair?
Keeping water from puddling around your foundation is the key to preventing foundation damage. Here are the key ways to do that.
Make sure gutters and downspouts are working
Properly working gutters and downspouts are a must. These must be well-maintained and kept free from clogging debris at all times. If your gutters and downspouts are not doing their job properly it may be because they are getting old. Replacing your old gutter and downspouts is fairly easy and not very expensive; it’s certainly much cheaper than any foundation repair.
Companies such as Evergreen Renovations & Roofing out of Beaverton, Oregon are experts at doing affordable gutter and downspout replacements.
Add Downspout extensions
One of the best ways to get water away from your foundation is to have downspout extensions added to the ends of your regular downspout pipes. This will make sure the water that runs off your roof is deposited far away from your foundation.
Make sure your yard drains properly
If you see puddling of water around your foundation you need to think about adding more drainage up close to your home or take steps to improve the drainage that’s already there.
Signs Your Foundation May Be in Trouble
Here are a few signs that the soil around your foundation has a moisture content that is too high.
- Water constantly puddles around your foundation and does not seep into the ground very quickly at all.
- You are starting to see water stains on your basement walls or water is starting to accumulate on your basement floor.
- Your mulch in the plant beds around your foundation is being displaced.
- You are seeing white or grey mineral deposits on your basement walls.
Take Action Before It’s Too Late
Do what it takes to maintain your gutters and downspouts. Keep them in good working order so ground water is properly drained and away from the foundation your home.
