Why Check Your Home's Foundation?

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By Devon Timmons


When a homeowner finds a damaged area of the home, especially one that could pose a risk to the safety of their family, they would get it taken care of as soon as possible. But there could be hazards in your home that are not immediately apparent. The foundation of a home could possibly be at risk, and because of the nature of a foundation, it can be difficult to notice when it starts to show telltale warning signs. For these reasons, it's often a good idea to regularly have it checked, at least once every six months.

Most geotechnical experts would agree that for the first ten feet of land under the foundation itself, the home should not drop more than a single foot. If this is unavoidable, then at the very least, the land should not drop more than six inches for the beginning 1.5 meters.

The cause of foundation problems can most often be traced to unstable or loose soil. Issues with a home's foundation can lead to great risks to both the property and the person who lives on it. During the construction phase, there are steps that can be taken to reduce this risk, like ensuring that the soil is compacted to the proper degree. Otherwise, the soil may shift and create voids. Soil from other areas moves in to fill these voids, and as a result, the home that rests on it is now less supported in certain areas.

Particularly in areas of the United States that feature a large variety of altitudes and climate patterns, a surprisingly large number of homes fail to measure up to even basic foundation safety standards. Getting the foundation checked by a specialist twice a year is always important, all the more so in an area like the one described. If you are able to detect a problem early, it can usually be dealt with far more easily than if it became worse over time. Weather plays a large role in foundation stability. Heavy snow can compact soil, and moisture can saturate the soil, causing shifts and voids, and erode the foundation itself. Catching and dealing with these issues before they become serious problems will save time, effort and money.

Keeping the foundation in excellent condition is not just a good idea because it reduces safety hazards for you and your family, but also because it can be an invaluable selling point if you plan to move in the future. A structurally sound foundation can be a desirable and valuable part of a property, Even if the exterior of a home looks great, savvy potential buyers will want to know that the house is solid down to the core.

A bad foundation can crumble a whole investment, both symbolically and literally. If you check your foundation twice a year, perform any needed maintenance, fill any voids in the ground that may have formed, and properly replace, compact and drain the soil, you will protect both your family and the investment you made when you bought the property.




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