As a homeowner the upkeep of your home is never quite done, and every spring and fall there are a million things for the homeowner to do. But, if you try to avoid doing the basic maintenance in your home, things can really take a turn for the worst really quickly. Cleaning the gutters, changing the oil in your gardening equipment, checking your basement and foundation of your home for signs of damage, are some of the basic maintenance tasks you should do every single year.
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Keep your home’s foundation solid
What do you look at as far as foundation problems?
I check the exterior foundation for cracks, evidence of patching, irregularities in the mortar joints. On the interior, again I look for cracks and the evidence of patching. Any crack should be evaluated on the basis of both extent and cause. Most hard construction surfaces will crack. Often, this can be because of thermal or moisture changes and not because the foundation is moving. I discussed cracks with a foundation specialist, and he recommends that if the cracks are over ¼ inch and especially if it is a newer construction, it should be evaluated by a foundation specialist.
What are the most common foundations in our area?
The most common foundations are: stone, poured concrete and concrete block. Every once in a while, I will run across a wood foundation. When I inspect houses with the stone foundations, some buyers have some concern, but really the old stone foundations are a great foundation. You need to keep the stone foundations maintained by sealing the loose rock, repair loose sand and mortar. If you have questions about the stone foundation repairs, call a foundation specialist. With the wood foundation, it is especially important to have the inside checked for moisture penetration, which could indicate moisture penetration in the wood and could cause rot.
