It’s been a rainy summer here in the Midwest, and we’ve been inspecting a lot of homes that have unfortunately suffered from flooding. The good news: most of the time those water intrusion issues can be solved through expert foundation solutions. When we start an inspection, here are a few ways we diagnose the issue(s) through visual inspections and asking the homeowners for more info.
If the soil around your home has sloped inwards… it will need corrective grading to ensure that water doesn’t gather around your home. Over time the soil around the home will settle, and that ideal slope going outwards will wear away. The grading of a home should promote water flow away from your foundation, which we can create.
If your windowsills are below the grade of the home… then the grading will need to be corrected and the sills potentially updated. The top rim of the sill should always be above the grade so that water will not be accidentally channeled into the well and trapped next to the foundation.
If your foundation has damage… it should be repaired so that those cracks or holes do not let water into your home. When we inspect the blocks of a foundation, for example, we will pull the soil back from the foundation to do a thorough check. If we see damage, then we can repair it without much disruption to the home.
If your drain tile hasn’t been working properly… it will need to be inspected to see if it needs repairs or needs to be replaced. Ideally, the process can happen without much disruption to your home, which can be done if you hire an experienced foundation repair team. In the event that water does reach your basement, then drain tile is your last defense to divert water to your sump pump where it can be moved out of the home.
We are experts in all of the nuances of effective foundation and water intrusions problems that properties will often face. If you are located in the Twin Cities area, give our experts at Concrete & Foundation Solutions a call, and we will perform a thorough inspection of your home’s foundation and grading.