During the business of your everyday routine, it can be tough to remember the foundations upon which your home was built — literally. While it might not seem like it, your home’s foundation is critical when it comes to keeping your home structurally intact.
When neglected, foundations can quickly become damaged, costing you tens of thousands of dollars to repair. Because so many homeowners forget to take care of their foundations, some 98% of homes with basements will suffer some kind of water damage.
Fortunately, avoiding long-term foundation damage can be much easier than you think. All it takes is following these three steps to keeping foundation problems at bay:
Make your downspouts longer
When it rains, you want water to be directed away from your foundation so it won’t pool around your home and seep into your basement. To make sure this happens, you should extend the downspouts of your gutters by five to 10 feet past their normal length. These days, downspout extenders come in a variety of colors and styles, so you won’t compromise your home’s aesthetics by doing so.
Landscape smarter
Did you know that the way you landscape in your lawn and yard can help keep moisture away from your foundation? Typically, you should never plant trees or other deep-rooting plants close to your home, as they will bring water and moisture closer to your foundation. If a tree’s branches touch your home, then it’s too close to your foundation.
Invest in a basement waterproofing
If you want to give your home’s value a boost while eliminating basement cracks and leaks altogether, you may want to consider having a basement or home waterproofing procedure performed. While the cost of this procedure may seem intimidating, it’s a tiny fee compared to the immense costs of repairing a cracked foundation for extensive water damage.
Have any other questions about avoiding the onset of foundational damage in your home or repairing a cracked foundation? Ask us anything about waterproofing basements and cleaning up wet basements by leaving a comment below. For more information see this. Check out this site for more.