Tips on How to Keep Your Foundation Healthy

A foundation is often disregarded; after all, just the house is visible, and there appears to be no need to be concerned. But there are many things going on behind the scenes of your home, and even if the foundation is the strongest element, it occasionally requires assistance to stay solid. So, here are a few steps you can do to assist safeguard your foundation and ensure it will sustain your house:

1. Water trees in your immediate vicinity. Every day, a single tree may take up to 150 gallons of water from the soil. If the trees around your house are not adequately hydrated, they will absorb any water that may be present in the soils surrounding your foundation, causing these soils to dry up and shrink.

2. Make sure you have adequate drainage. Landscaping/gardens should have enough drainage and be situated on slopes sloping downwards, allowing water to flow away from your foundation. A decent rule of thumb is for the earth to slope away from a foundation by 6 inches every 10 feet horizontally (ref: Easy Digging). Also, ensure that any drains, such as rain gutters, expanded drain pipes, French drains, and other forms of drainage, are in good working order. If there are puddles of water around your foundation after a storm, or at any time, you may cover these locations with dirt/gravel after draining the water to help regulate the moisture. Idle water may be harmful for a variety of reasons, especially if it is near your foundation.

3. Consider landscaping on both sides of your foundation (if possible). If you have a garden on one side of your house, you will most likely end up watering that side more frequently, causing the soil to swell dramatically, pressing against the foundation and generating imbalance. Maintaining moisture equilibrium requires evenly watering all sides of your foundation.

4. Plant trees and plants away from your house. Small trees should be placed no closer than 8′ to 10′ from your house, while bigger trees should be put further away, depending on their size. Trees and bushes placed too near to a home might cause foundation problems. Furthermore, if not properly hydrated, these plants can use all of the water surrounding the foundation, causing soil contraction.

5. Rain gutters and downspouts should be cleaned on a regular basis (at least twice a year) to keep water away from the foundation. Also, check for cracks or other damage to the pipes that might prevent them from operating properly. If these drains get blocked with debris, water becomes trapped and overflows immediately beside the Foundation Repair Los Angeles, causing damage. When cleaning gutters, it is critical to always dispose of the debris or move it away from the base to avoid water collecting.

If you believe your foundation has difficulties or detect evidence of settling caused by the elements, an examination may be scheduled to identify what the underlying problem is and what will fix it. The RLM Retrofit Foundation can be of tremendous assistance.

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