8 Easy Steps to Care for Your Concrete Foundation

Concrete foundations are renowned for their durability, easy installation, maintenance and affordability. Their thermo conduction quality also makes them invaluable in maintaining idyllic interior condition in your home.

However, a concrete foundation can only serve your structure if you maintain it in pristine condition. Here are tips on pampering your foundation:

1. Be Ever Keen

As a home owner, you know the pain and cost of building your beautiful structure. As such, be on the lookout for anything that seems amiss. For instance, mold, rust and such matter should ring an alarm bell for you to call in an expert.

2. Clean your Concrete Foundation

It is a basic foundation care tip, but also the most ignored. Cleaning your foundation once a year helps to clear grime and dirt build up which could instigate and exacerbate cracks on the walls.

3. Maintain Constant Levels of Moisture

Water and foundations don’t augur well, but when it is uncharacteristically dry, you need to water these walls. Dry weather leads to soil shrinkage and this can lead to problems with your foundation. Nevertheless, you should avoid overwatering your foundation lest you cause basement flooding.

4. Crack Repair

As they say, a stitch in time saves nine. If you notice a wall crack, you need to get it fixed by an expert immediately. Hairline cracks might be a presage of deep lying problems and having a foundation contractor fix them is the best way to get a diagnosis of your foundation. Such cracks can lead to water seepage causing weakness in your foundation.

5. Maintain Roof Drainage

The worst culprits in foundation damage are gutters and downspouts. When poorly installed, the two appliances drain water close to the foundation leading to lateral pressure and eventually cracking. These drains should discharge water about 5 feet from the walls to avoid flooding.

6. Correct Ground Drainage

If you live in a high rainfall region, ground water can collect during rainy season eventually seeping through the foundation. You should install a drain tile next to your foundation in order to draw most of the ground water away from the walls to another outlet. This protects your foundation from adverse effects of flood water.

7. Correct Your Landscape Grade

If you live in a relatively flat area, your foundation is vulnerable to ground water and you should contact a contractor to correct the grade away from the concrete foundation. This means rain water will not flow along the walls, but instead it will drain away from your home’s foundation.

8. Always Use a Contractor

DIY concrete foundation care is only possible to an extent, but with a professional foundation expert, you get all-rounded assistance.

Go on and start being proactive in foundation care. After all, a home is a large investment.

Bruce Cutler

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