The Importance of Maintaining Your Home Foundation
Your home is arguably one of the most important investments you’ll make in your life, and your home foundation is one of the most critical pieces. Just like any piece of your home, foundations require regular maintenance and inspections to ensure they can keep doing their job—keeping your family safe!
What is a Home Foundation, and What Does it Do?
Did you know that your home can weigh 80,000 lbs to 160,000 lbs depending on how much you have inside? That needs a lot of support! So, what exactly is a home foundation, and what does it do?
Supports the Structure of your Home
Your home isn’t just the walls and floors; it’s your furniture, appliances, and family! Home foundations are built to withstand all kinds of weight. This includes moving and unpredictable loads, like family members walking around or snow on the roof, and static objects like your walls and support beams.
Keeps your Home in One Place
While the ground you walk on can seem stable, it’s actually moving all of the time. The movement could be as small as the terrain around your home settling or as dramatic as an earthquake, flooding, or a bad thunderstorm. Your home foundation is built to ensure that everything stays anchored to the earth regardless of the weather or terrain settling.
Protects Your Home from the Elements
Even in the summer, when the dirt feels dry, there’s always moisture underground. Moisture can be a problem for homes in areas with temperature fluctuations throughout the year, like freezing in the winter and droughts in the summer. Your home foundation can protect the rest of your home from damage associated with the elements like wood warping or metal rusting.
How can a Foundation Inspection Protect Your Home?
Although your home foundation should be designed to last for decades, there’s a variety of factors that could contribute to weathering or cracking in your foundation. An inspector can help identify things like:
- Landscaping too close to the foundation
- Evidence of flooding or poor drainage
- Microcracks and leaks
- Signs of shifting or foundation movement
Not only can they let you know how to fix specific problems, but they can also give guidance on how you can avoid further damage to your home foundation.
Contact All Aspects Waterproofing Today for a Foundation Inspection!
When it comes to finding the best solution for your crawl space encapsulation and waterproofing needs, contact All Aspect Waterproofing, a Better Business Bureau A+ rated company with over 30 years of experience in the Washington, DC./Maryland/Virginia area. We have a great deal of experience in waterproofing, mold testing, and mold remediation, and we want to make you feel at home again. Contact us online or by calling 1-866-999-3110 or 301-766-4420. To see what we’re up to, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Houzz.