Foundation Maintenance
The cost of foundation maintenance can be minimal and requires little time and effort. Following
these tips might save you on foundation repairs in the future.
Tips for Home Foundation Maintenance
● If you see minor cracks in your home, don’t ignore them. Write down where you found
the cracks, and measure how long they are. Check the length of the cracks every couple
of months or so. If the cracks are getting longer, it may be time for you to get a specialist
to inspect your home and your foundation.
● Maintaing constant humidity in the soil around your foundation is necessary in North
Texas. The soil you find all over the Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex can absorb and lose
considerable amounts of water. During months of heavy rain, the soil will swell up when
it becomes wet. During the summer and other dry months, the soil will shrink. This
constant expansion and contraction places stress on your homes foundation. To prevent
possible damage, we recomend the use of soaker hoses to keep the moisture level
around your foundation uniform and constant. Watering your home’s foundation won’t fix
your current foundation problems, but it will slow down the rate of deterioration of an
existing foundation issue.
● Provide proper drainage away from the foundation and ensure there is no standing
water near the foundation wall or the slab. This will help to keep moisture content around
and underneath the slab and will help to minimize soil movement under the
foundation/slab.
● Make sure the trees around your home aren’t causing problems for your foundation.
Check with a specialist, especially if the trees around your home are large. Be sure to
water the trees around your home in the dry season. This will prevent adjacent areas of
the soil from having different moisture content, which can cause problems with your
foundation. Don’t be too stingy with the water, as large trees can absorb up to 150
gallons of water.
● Keep the ground elevations of the flower beds around your home 3 to 4 inches below the
top of the slab or the bottom of the brick line. The flower bed should be sloped away
from the foundation for proper drainage. Doing this keeps the moisture from seeping into
the wall system or inside the home.
● Maintain a steady temperature inside your home. This will help prevent (or at least
reduce) the tendency of the concrete slab to expand and contract. That means you
shouldn’t let too long a time pass when you don’t heat or cool your home.
● Check for leaks inside and around your home. This includes checking your sewer line,
potable water lines, and the plumbing system.
