The big bad wolf might not blow your concrete house away, but water might just crack its foundation. With time, concrete and cement crack and deteriorate. Put a rainy climate in the mix and you will soon be facing leaks, floods and foundation damage.
There are tons of solutions out there, some for effective than others. However, in this list you will find the best most successful ways of preventing house foundation problems:
Basement Waterproofing
A very important part of every functional home is a proper basement waterproofing system. Whether exterior or interior, this system will make sure that no excess water reaches the inside of your home and cracks your foundation.
With sump pumps and weeping tiles, water is gathered and pumped out in disposal areas like sewers and downhill streets. The only homes that don’t need this kind of system are those located in desserts where rain or underground water rarely poses a threat to your home.
In other homes such as those located in rainy areas, sooner or later water will find every possible way to get inside and do some unfixable damage. That’s why proper waterproofing is important and that’s why it can even increase a home’s value.
Careful Gardening
Another thing you should protect to ensure that you don’t have foundation troubles is the backyard and this is usually done with a backyard drainage system. This functions similarly like basement waterproofing, the only difference being it collects water from the yard rather than from and around the basement.
Before you do this, you should also put your focus on your gardening. Because our homes are surrounded by piping systems, they are very vulnerable to cracks and bursts from the inside. On top of that, tree roots and plants don’t make things easier.
In fact, when they don’t get enough watering, they start searching for an additional water source thus breeching and cracking the pipes. Planning the gardening and the piping ahead will save you from difficult troubles in the future.
Regular Inspections
This advice applies for everything. Regular inspections and clean ups have saved many homes from drainage and foundation disasters. To get a better perspective, compare your home to your organism.
If you go regularly to the doctor, you might detect some issues early on and fix them before they develop into more complicated situations.
The inspections and clean ups you need to do so that your home stays healthy and functional are:
- Drain Cleaning – With drain snakes or homemade recipes like half vinegar and hot water
- Sump Pump Inspection – Checking if everything is working fine by pouring water in the pit
- Sump Pump Cleaning – Removing debris and dirt from the pit and tiles
- Maintaining the garden – Regularly watering and cutting down large branches
- Cleaning the gutters – If not cleaned from debris and dirt, gutters cause roof and basement leaks
- Roof Inspection – You should do to avoiding an attic flood, mold and a dripping ceiling
- Camera Sewer Inspection – Scheduling thorough inspection to save thousands of dollars later on