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You are here: Home / Archives for foundation

foundation

Don’t Get Stuck Without Water – Take Care of Your Foundation

October 8, 2018 by khproperties Leave a Comment

Water Spray

We’ve talked about foundations before. Caring for your foundation is a fact of life here in South Texas. Therefore, find more info about foundation services. While my particular problem isn’t the foundation, the root case is the same. Since we’ve had a lot of rain recently, the ground is nice and wet. As we begin to dry out, the ground begins to shrink and shift. In this case a main water supply broke. And after fixing it with the help of experts from  Kansas City Missouri and releasing the water back into the system, another part broke. Then another. So it’s just an endless cycle. If you’re also having issues with your foundation or main drainage system, it may be time to consult a specialist in Foundation Drain Design Services.

While the crews work on fixing it once again, it seemed like a good time to discuss what happens that causes these types of problems and how you can help prevent them. (Cross your fingers that this time they fix it and it stays fixed…)

Because of our wet/dry flip-flopping here in South Texas, we experience a lot of changes in the ground. If you remember your basic science classes, when things dry up, they tend to shrink and shrivel up. When they get wet and start soaking up water, they expand. It’s like those little foam toys they pack into pellets and when you add water they grow into dinosaurs or monsters or whatever is the new cool thing that kids love. It’s simple science at work. The ground is no different. As it dries it begins to shrink and compact. When it gets wet, it swells and expands. Ever noticed how the soil in your potted plant pulls away from the sides of the pot if you forget to water it? Exactly.

As the ground shifts, it can move a lot of weight. This includes your foundation. When it expands it creates forces against your foundation, literally pushing it into a new position. When the ground dries up and shrinks away, it can leave voids – and all that weight likes to be supported, so your foundation will shift to fill that space left behind by the retreating earth. This could compromise your home’s structural integrity so having reliable foundation repair contractors inspect your home will uncover any issues that need to addressed immediately.

In the case of my water mains, it’s the same principles – voids left as the ground began to try left the pipes unsupported and the weight of all the water they were carrying caused the pipes to sag to fill this void…until the pipe couldn’t take it any more and burst.

So how do you combat this issue? Follow good foundation care. Keep the area around your foundation moist when the summer heat cranks up and the ground begins to dry up, learn more here. You don’t want standing water around your house (that can lead to the same problems), but you don’t want it so dry that you can see the ground pulling away from your foundation either. This article from Texas A&M is an excellent guide to watering your foundation. If there are visible damages, contact a foundation repair company at once to do a proper inspection and the necessary repair.

Take care of your foundation and it will take care of you. And don’t forget, your foundation carries the pipes to your home, so you don’t want to wind up like me…sitting here wishing you had enough water to take a shower.

image courtesy of joshme17

Filed Under: Homeowner Tips Tagged With: homeowner tips, foundation, water

Foundation Care – Don’t Let Your Foundation Dry Up

April 12, 2012 by khproperties Leave a Comment

Foundation Crack

As the weather turns warmer and the potential for another dry summer comes along, it’s time to start thinking about your foundation. During the summer, it’s easy to forget the block of concrete that keeps your house in one piece and stops it from sliding into the neighbor’s yard.

Your foundation, although an inanimate object, is really a “living, breathing” thing. As the foundation repair columbia mo does, it requires proper maintenance.  As soils around your home dry or get moist, the foundation will move and shift with the earth in order to keep your house standing. If these shifts occur quickly or are too large in scope – cracks and major changes in your foundation can result in tilted floors, doors and windows that won’t open or shut, or worse…a house that splits or slides right off the foundation itself (not a pretty sight).

The best tip for foundation care.

An inspector and I were talking about the foundation of a property once and he gave my buyers the best advice I had ever heard – simple and effective. He advised that you keep your grass growing along your foundation at all times – if the area around the foundation is green, you should be safe from some of the more common foundation problems (of course this will not guarantee a life without foundation problems…but it will help).

You’ll often hear people refer to “keeping your foundation watered” during the summer months – and this is exactly what the inspector was suggesting. Letting the ground around your foundation dry up can lead to more trouble down the road, particularly if a sudden rainstorm swells the ground with moisture. Keeping the grass alive in a San Antonio summer isn’t always easy so when you keep the ground moist enough to grow your grass, it should be enough to maintain your foundation’s strength. You may contact a Soft Story Retrofit specialist to check your home’s foundation.

As always, Kimberly Howell Properties reminds you that there is no substitution for a qualified structural engineer or foundation expert when you think you might have foundation troubles. Call your real estate agent and ask for a list of qualified foundation experts or structural engineers in your area.

Image is not an actual foundation crack caused by shrinkage and is used for illustrative purposes only.

image courtesy of WayTru

Filed Under: Homeowner Tips Tagged With: how to, foundation, repair, crack, structural engineer

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