Building Foundations in a Hurricane
It’s crucial to be hurricane-ready, especially when it comes to the foundation of your house. Your entire house is supported by this crucial structure, so you should be aware of how it will fare during a storm and how to strengthen it.
Hurricane season may be an unpredictably unpredictable time of year for homes in the Southern and Eastern United States. Many people are aware that preparing for a storm entails loading up on batteries or flashlights, buying canned supplies, creating an evacuation plan, and planning an escape route. You might not be aware of the fact, nevertheless, that safeguarding your foundation is a crucial action to do.
Your Foundation Matters
Your home might suffer greatly if your foundation is damaged during a hurricane. The foundation of your house supports everything inside, after all. There are certain foundations that are more storm-proof than others. This is a result of the building materials employed and the structural layout of each foundation. In this post, we’ll rank several foundation types according to how well they can endure hurricanes. Don’t panic; Groundworks has a lot of ways to assist your foundation become more storm-ready, even if it isn’t the strongest during a storm.
Concrete Slab
One of the strongest construction materials available is concrete. Concrete is frequently used in the construction of buildings, roadways, and sidewalks for a reason. Due to its robust construction, concrete can readily survive the strong gusts and abundant rain that hurricanes bring. Additionally, the fact that your concrete slab is underground provides additional defense against strong winds. Concrete slabs are naturally resistant to storm damage due to their strength and position.
One issue to consider is the impact of rain on the soil around your concrete slab. High rainfall levels on occasion might result in soil washout. The earth erodes, swells, and becomes soft throughout this process. Due to this, the earth may have trouble supporting the heavy weight of your concrete slab. The slab foundation may eventually sink into the weakening soil, causing foundation damage. Your concrete slab may be supported in this situation thanks to our pier systems.
Beam and pier
If you reside in or close to a seaside community, you have probably seen homes perched above the earth on stilts. These foundations sometimes referred to as piers and beams, can offer excellent storm protection. Hurricanes frequently result in floods since they originate near the shore. The dwellings are shielded from the rising water by piers and beams. However, since the type of material used to construct your pier and beam foundation may literally make or break the beams supporting your home, homeowners should be aware of this.
When exposed to floodwater, wood-only piers and beams are susceptible to developing wood rot. Additionally, particularly in cases when residences are situated close to the seaside, high winds and water pressure can easily break timber beams. These beams are more effectively able to bear these stresses when constructed from reinforced concrete.
Basement
Although basements provide your house with a ton of extra space, they might not hold up well in a hurricane. As previously noted, storms might bring flooding and a lot of rain to your location. The harm caused by all of this water may cause it to seep below the surface. Unfortunately, a buildup of water pressure and disturbed soil is difficult for your basement to resist. Walls in basements will eventually fracture, allowing water to seep inside. In the worst-case situation, a flood can overwhelm every basement wall, seriously damaging your home’s foundation.
Groundworks offer a wide range of alternatives to safeguard your basement. These might be a wall support system, internal drain, or sump pump. These options all help to keep your basement dry. They continue to guard against mold and humidity from growing in your basement as well as help to prevent flood damage. Although hurricanes may cause water to enter your basement, these tools lessen the harm that this natural catastrophe may do.
Maintaining Your Preparedness during Hurricane Season Through Groundwork
There are ways to protect your home against natural catastrophes regardless of the sort of foundation it is built on. Our team of foundation specialists has the skills and solutions to safeguard your foundation and, therefore, your house and loved ones. Avoid letting the storm season ruin your house or foundation. Contact RLM Retrofit Foundation right now and keep browsing https://rlmretrofitfoundation.com/ if you want to learn even more about our different Foundation Inspection Hermosa Beach and repair options!
