If you have a basement foundation, you share that in common with many people throughout the United States. After all, basement foundations join crawlspace foundations and slab foundations as one of the three most popular foundations used all throughout the United States. And when you have a basement foundation, there are a number of steps that you will need to take to protect it.
For one thing, investing in your basement foundation at the time that your home is built is something that can prevent the need for any kind of foundation repair in the future, as a firm and well crafted foundation will likely be much more resistant to damages than a foundation that has not been made well. Ideally, this means investing up to 15% of your home’s total cost into the creation of the foundation and the foundation alone. At the very least, it is ideal for you to spend at least 8% of home’s total cost on the foundation. These investments will likely continue to pay off well into the future.
In addition to this, basement waterproofing and exterior waterproofing measures can go a long way towards avoiding the need for foundation repair as well. In fact, if you have a basement foundation and are looking to avoid foundation repair, exterior waterproofing and encapsulation services might be something of a must. This is due to the fact that basements are prone to flooding, so much so that up to 98% of all basements will flood at some point in time or another. This means, unfortunately, that up to 37% of all home owners have lost property and possessions to flooding and that up to 14,000 different people have to deal with emergencies rooted in flooding throughout the course of the typical day. And with a return on investment of up to 30%, investing in basement waterproofing services is likely to prove largely worth it at the end of the day.
Taking the time to make other changes and adjustments can also make a big difference when it comes to avoiding foundation repair for your home. For instance, the simple placement of your gutters can mitigate the need for residential foundation repair by quite a bit. Ideally, you should ensure that your gutters are able to divert water at least ten feet away from the foundation. In addition to this, regular cleaning of said gutters can not only prevent the need for foundation repair but for roof repair as well.
In addition to this, careful gardening can also help you to avoid foundation repair. In order to avoid water damage to your foundation, you should place your plants at least two feet from the foundation in question. In addition to this, making sure that their roots do not go too deep can also be helpful when it comes to reducing likelihood of any interference with you foundation that would need to the lead for a home foundation repair service.
Regular foundation inspection is also a must. If you’ve lived in your home for at least 20 years, you should have a home foundation inspection, if only just to confirm that no form of home foundation repair is needed. Even if you haven’t lived in your home for as many as 20 years, you should always have a foundation inspection conducted when you are planning to sell your home. This will help you identify any foundation problems that are in place, giving you a chance to conduct the necessary foundation repair before prospective buyers come to look at and inspect the home. Without taking these steps and without conducting foundation repair if needed, it is far too likely that your home will become quite difficult to sell indeed.
The foundation of your home is an important thing. So too, therefore, is its care and keeping. Ultimately, keeping an eye out for issues and conducting any foundation repair as it is needed can make the quality of your home all the higher. This will become particularly important if you are ultimately ever looking to sell the home.
