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Protect Your Home Foundation foundation

Protect Your Home Foundation

Protect your home foundation from shifting and cracking

Winnipeg home owners love their basement rec-rooms.  But several problems, including flooding basements, cracking and shifting foundations are always a concern.  Normally, our main concern is during wet weather, when sump pumps can become overwhelmed by the water, and tiny cracks in concrete basement walls allow water to seep into our prized man-caves and game rooms.

cracking and shifting foundations
cracking and shifting foundations

However, there are several causes of shifting and cracking foundation walls:

Extended drought causes foundations issues

Extended dry periods, such as what we’re experiencing this summer (2021), will cause the ground to dry up and crack, shifting soil all along your foundation walls.

Severe droughts can affect soil moisture levels even deep into the ground.  If it goes deep enough, and affects the clay around the foundation footings, the impact can be severe.

Drying clay will shrink, causing vacant pockets around and underneath the footings.  This will increase the chances of the footings shifting or dropping.

Prevention: Water your foundation on a regular basis.  When watering your lawn, make sure your sprinklers work right up to the basement walls, to keep the soil nice and moist.

While it is commonly believed that, if a house is beyond a certain age, it will have ‘settled as far as it’s gonna settle’, I know of cases where houses have shifted after 30 years of relative stability.

Sudden changes in soil moisture levels

I read once that a fully grown birch cluster can take 8 bath-tubs full of water out of the soil every single day.  If you have several large trees close to your home, and suddenly remove them, the moisture levels around your home will suddenly change.  This can affect home foundations, and can cause severe shifting and settling.

Sudden, or even gradual changes in soil moisture are quite often the culprit of these issues with foundations.

Tree roots effect foundations

Tree, planted too close to foundations, can over time develop roots that are big enough to crack concrete.  As prevention, don’t plant trees or even large shrubs too close to the house.  However, if your home already has several large trees around it, don’t be too hasty in removing them, because this can cause another, equally severe issue…Protect Your Home Foundation foundation

 



Protect Your Home Foundation foundationAbout the Publisher

Bo Kauffmann is a residential real estate agent with over 18 yrs experience in helping buyers and sellers achieve their goals.  Inducted into the REMAX Hall of Fame in 2010 and receiving the REMAX Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, Bo has sold over 500 houses and condos in the Greater Winnipeg market.  He is an accredited buyer representative (A.B.R.) and a Luxury Home Marketing Specialist.   Bo provides exceptional service to First-Time Home-Buyers, Seniors looking to downsize and Home Sellers of all ages.   He can be reached easily   By E-Mail or call/text him   Call/Text Here

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Top 5 things to look for when buying a house foundation

Top 5 things to look for when buying a house

From apartments to sprawling mansions everyone moves eventually. Finding a new home can be a daunting task, especially if you don’t know what to look for. Here are some things you should keep your eye on when you check out a possibility for your new home:

Water Damage

The first thing I always look for when shopping for a new home is water damage. From floods, from rains or from leaky pipes water can cause all kinds of damage that is all but impossible to fix. That is why many homeowners will hide water damage under paint, carpet, or wallpaper. Look for signs of damage such as dark spots, soft spots, or recently painted patches.

Cracks

Another big thing that homeowners try to hide is foundation damage or settling. Cracks can appear even in a relatively new home and show that there are bigger problems underneath. Look at the joints between walls, around doors and in corners. Keep an eye out for taped and painted areas- this is a common way to cover up cracks. You should also look outside the home for cracks in the siding or brick. Some cracking is normal, but any crack of size should be taken as a warning to check out the situation further.

Smells and Odours

There is a reason REALTORS fill for sale homes with welcoming scents like baking cookies and odor spray. Ask to forgo these scents (cite allergies if you must) and get a sniff of the house for real. Smells can reveal things like water damage, mold growth, pet stains, and rotting wood. Take a sniff around the bathroom and make sure there is no sewage smell to indicate poor plumbing. Journey outside to sniff around septic tanks too. There should be no odor.

Outside

Speaking of septic tanks, take a look outside the home. Is the yard going to flood? Is the house on a hill or in a valley? Does the foundation look secure? Are windows and doors tightly sealed? Is the roof at a good angle so that snow and leaves do not build up and cause rot or collapse? Is the roof solid and well maintained? If you spot missing shingles, darker looking spots, or rotting siding beware, those are expensive to fix and can lead to more water damage inside.

Neighbourhood

Don’t forget there is more to your home than just the house. The neighbourhood you live in makes a big difference on whether you enjoy your home or not. Find out if there are rules governing how your home or yard must look, and visit the neighbourhood at various times of the day. While it may be quiet at noon it could be party central in the night time.

These are just a few things you should look for when checking out a new home. Have fun on your house hunt and make sure you know what you are getting into before you buy!

This is a guest post by Liz Nelson from WhiteFence.com. She is a freelance writer and blogger from Houston. Questions and comments can be sent to: liznelson17 @ gmail.com.

 



Top 5 things to look for when buying a house foundationAbout the Publisher

Bo Kauffmann is a residential real estate agent with over 18 yrs experience in helping buyers and sellers achieve their goals.  Inducted into the REMAX Hall of Fame in 2010 and receiving the REMAX Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, Bo has sold over 500 houses and condos in the Greater Winnipeg market.  He is an accredited buyer representative (A.B.R.) and a Luxury Home Marketing Specialist.   Bo provides exceptional service to First-Time Home-Buyers, Seniors looking to downsize and Home Sellers of all ages.   He can be reached easily   By E-Mail or call/text him   Call/Text Here

    Our Latest Web-Stories
Never miss an episode of our real estate podcast. Install our FREE Podcast App available on iOS and Android. For your Apple Devices, click here to install our iOS App. For your Android Devices, click here to install our Android App. Check my videos on Youtube

Check out our Podcast

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