With the winter gone and the springtime weather taking over, it gives homeowners a good opportunity to do a lot of their home maintenance jobs. Among the things that you want to consider every spring is taking some steps to protect the foundation of the home. With a yearly inspection and maybe a little bit of maintenance work, you can keep your foundation in good shape and help to prevent the costly repairs that come with foundation damage.
On your spring “to do” list you should include a yearly foundation inspection. This will help to ensure that you get ahead of any small problems before they become larger, more costly problems. First, you can start by checking some things inside the house. Open and close all of the windows and doors; if they are sticking, it could be a sign of a problem. Look for cracks in any of the interior walls or floors that are starting to slope.
Once outside, you can look for cracks in the foundation. You also want to check to make sure that the foundation is level. If you have something like a chimney or a garage, you want to take a look at where this component joins with the main structure. If you see that it is starting to separate or lean away from the home, this could be a sign that you have foundation issues.
Aside from doing a quick check to make sure that there is no obvious damage to the foundation, you should also take the opportunity to do some things that can help to prevent foundation damage. Cleaning and maintaining your gutters every year is an important part of protecting the home foundation. If water is spilling from the gutters instead of entering the downspouts, it is allowing water to come in contact with the foundation and this can lead or contribute to various foundation problems. Additionally, you want to inspect the grading around the home. If the grade is carrying water toward the house instead of away, this can cause some serious foundation issues.
If you find any issues with the foundation during your yearly inspection and maintenance, then you will want to call in a foundation repair service. Getting these issues resolved as soon as possible will prevent the damage from spreading and it is the best way to keep the cost of repairs down. If you see something that could indicate a problem, but are not sure, then the smart thing to do is to schedule an inspection from a professional.
Foundation inspection and maintenance will be important for protecting the value of the home. Along with doing your own inspection, you may want to consider scheduling a professional inspection every few years. A professional will be able to perform a much more in depth inspection and they will catch any of the signs that may have been overlooked by the homeowner. If you have any concerns about your foundation, contact Montclair Construction. We have more than 30 years of experiencing with foundation repair and inspection and we pride ourselves on providing the residents of Northern California will the best construction solutions in the region.
