Protecting Your Foundation During All Four Seasons
Protecting Your Foundation in Winter
As the colder months approach and you change your thermostat, cover your pool, and ready your fireplace – don’t forget to take care of your foundation too! The changing weather often brings with it moisture from rain (and snow in North Texas) as wells as changes in the soil. These changes, when unchecked, can lead to foundation damage, so protecting your foundation is important. Ram Jack Texas is here to help! By taking a few simple steps to protect your foundation during the changing weather, you may save yourself an expensive and involved foundation repair.
Protect Your Foundation from Water
Water is perhaps the greatest enemy of your foundation. It not only affects the soil around the foundation of any structure, but it causes direct damage and fosters the growth of mold. In order to prevent unwanted water damage, make sure to install rain gutters that push rain away from the base of your home. In addition, grade the yard so water drains away from your home rather than toward it. And finally, if you have a basement or an underground structure, make sure to keep it dry.
Protecting Your Foundation in Summer
The key to a healthy foundation is balanced soil. What this means is that your goal should be to keep the moisture content of your soil constant throughout the changing seasons. As the summer approaches and the soil inevitably dries out, it’s important that you water regularly and wet the soil around the foundation of your home appropriately.
Feel the Soil With Your Hands
How do you know how much to wet the soil around your home’s foundation? Because most of us aren’t geologists, we don’t the tools to measure the precise moisture content of the soil. What we can do, however, is take a look at it and feel it with our hands. The soil should not be bone dry, nor should it be soaking wet. It should have a very slight dampness. As the summer approaches and warm weather with it, take a look at the soil around your home. If it’s too dry, dampen it a little with your hose. But be careful, you don’t want it too wet. If you notice that the soil is soaking wet, check the drainage of your rain gutters, the grading of your yard, or the direction in which your sprinklers point.
Simple Steps to Protect Your Foundation Throughout the Year
- Drainage for Rain in Winter: When the rain comes, proper drainage is vital. In order to ensure that the rain stays away from your foundation where it belongs, make sure your rain gutters are in proper, working order. This may mean mending areas where they’ve fallen or clearing them of debris. In addition, make sure the drains are pointed away from the home.
- Keep Proper Grading: Check the grading of the soil around your home. If it’s directing water toward the foundation, get a shovel and modify it so it drains water away. If you need a more extensive landscaping repair, call a professional. It may cost a bit now, but it might save you a lot of time and money later.
- Water Your Soil in Summer: When the weather begins to dry up, make sure to water your soil. You don’t want the soil to be too wet or too dry, but if it dries too fast, it may crack and cause foundation settlement. Keep the moisture level in your soil consistent.
- Always Avoid Excessive Watering! In the same way you don’t want soil that dries too quickly, you don’t want it too wet either. Overly wet soil contacts your foundation with water and can cause unwanted damage.
- Keep Your Basement Dry: If you have a crawlspace or a basement, it is important to make sure that it is prepared for flood conditions and does not allow water to collect during rains. It is smart to install a sump pump to keep water out during a storm.
- Protect Your Foundation from Roots: The trees in your yard may look beautiful, but their underground root structures may be damaging your foundation. With a few hours of hard work and the right equipment, you can cut through the roots and stop them from growing into your foundation, preventing unwanted damage. In the future, try to plant trees away from your home to prevent invasive root growth.
- Repair Cracks and Crevices: Minor cracks in your walls or foundation are often a sign of underlying damage. It’s best to fill them as soon as possible to prevent their expansion. If you’re wondering how to do so, call Ram Jack Texas for a little advice.
Ram Jack Texas for All Your Foundation Needs
Ram Jack Texas is here to repair your foundation if you need it. By taking these simple steps, the health of your foundation and your home are preserved. But if you do need a repair or need an inspection, call Ram Jack Texas today! We’ll be happy to answer any questions, schedule an inspection, and provide excellence in customer service.
