Water Damage to a Foundation

One of the issues we see at house sales and inspections over and over again are foundation issues and cracked drive ways. Both have the same culprit: WATER! You might think that water is just of of those things you have to live with and there is not much you can do. Well, YES and NO! It will rain and it will snow and there is nothing you can do. But you can do something about where the water goes and limit/prevent damage to your house. Let's build our understanding of HOW, WHAT, and figure out our course of action or the NOW WHAT.

How Water Damages Your Foundation

1. Standing water, water seepage and water-logged soil can cause wooden parts of your structure and additions to rot.

2. Standing water, water seepage and water-logged soil can cause the soil under your foundation to erode or shift over time, which can lead to a lack of support of your structure.

3. Standing water, water seepage and water-logged soil can cause the soil under your foundation to swell, which can lead to shifting and cracking.

4. Moisture can cause the soil around your foundation to expand, which can result in heaving of the floors, cracks and bowed walls.

Warning Signs of Water Damage

Here are some common signs of foundation damage caused by flooding or moisture:

• Cracks appearing in the walls and floors of your basement and or throughout the house.

• Walls bending or sagging, either inward or outward.

• A musty odor that doesn’t seem to leave your basement.

• The appearance or the odor of mold or mildew.

• Discoloration of your walls, wallpaper that is peeling off, or a carpeted floor that becomes moist and spongy.

• Doors might become difficult to close because of the shifting of the walls. You might see also cracks around the top corners of the door frame in the dry wall or around the baseboards.

How to Prevent Water Damage

• Maintain your gutters regularly so that it properly drains water AWAY from your home. You would be surprised how much debris accumulates in a gutter, especially throughout the fall. Trees on your property and/or your neighbor's property will quickly clog your gutters and down spouts.

• Employ drainage methods to keep rainwater away from your foundation. This is HUGE!!!! This is probably single-handedly the most missed feature we see at homes (aside from CO2 detectors). Add an extension to your downspout to allow water to drain away from the foundation. An extension to the downspout is easily installed above ground by adding a 'flex-a-spout' (flexible extension made of plastic) or a rigid aluminum downspout, for example. Make sure the downspout has a slight pitch away from your house and foundation. The downspout should be at least 3 feet in length, more is always better. There are underground and fold-away options as well. Regardless which option you choose, make sure it is in working order when it rains and snows (fold-able option will need to be folded down, loosely attachable options need to be attached properly-especially after heavy wind etc)

• Maintain your pipes to prevent them from bursting and flooding your home.

   

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