Maintaining a foundation is about handling the elements of hot and cold seasons.  Ensuring proper moisture levels around your foundation is needed for proper foundation maintenance. The ideal moisture levels can vary significantly based on the type of foundation you have. Slab and pier and beam is what we see on 99% of the residential foundation homes. Maintaining a consistent moisture level is difficult and you do not need to be perfect as the ground always moves based on weather.

Slab foundations: They are designed to tolerate some ground movement.  Soaker hoses and yard sprinklers can help with balanced moisture levels – not too dry and not too wet. The underneath of the slab typically doesn’t matter unless there are other drainage or plumbing issues.  Using basic observation where deep cracks indicate lower water content in the ground so water the yard.   In Texas there can be surface cracks in the summer with the heat.   It is easier to keep the water right than to catch up..

Pier and beam foundations: When it comes to pier and beam construction, this is a different story than slab foundations. You want the underneath of the crawl space to be bone dry. This is how it was when the piers were put in and how it should be maintained. When the moisture levels underneath the house are too high and/or fluctuate dramatically due to draining and/or plumbing leak issues. You can generally tell if the underneath of pier and beam houses are dry by seeing cracks in the soil in the crawl space. This is a good sign. If you see water puddles drainage may be a problem we need to check.

How much is too much water on your foundation?

Some of us are over-watering, as see by long streams of water flowing into the street. We are not trying to flood the yard like a rice field, that is to much water.

On the other hand if the lawn is dead you are not watering enough. Foundation problems caused by expansive clay soils typically arise when the soil’s moisture content changes unevenly under the perimeter or interior of the slab.

Our Texas climate causes clay soils to shrink when dry and swell when wet, resulting in up and down movement of the ground. If this occurs unevenly (one area of soil under the house gets more water or dries out faster), the house may become strained, leading to foundation damage.

Foundation maintenance generally revolves around one major concept: Balanced watering around the house and yard. This will keep the need for foundation repairs from being required. Many issues are prevented with decent watering and proper drainage.

1. Install good ground cover. Besides the positive look ground cover prevents excessive moisture from escaping or seeping deep into the soil.
2. Water the lawn during dry periods just enough to keep the grass green. More watering may be needed in areas with abundant shrubbery and plants. The south and west sides of the house are more exposed to the sun and usually need more watering to keep plants healthy.
3. Never water too close to the foundation. Stay at least 18 inches away from the base of the foundation to really help.
4. Never water directly into cracks in the soil near the base of your foundation. These cracks usually go a few feet deep, and the water will reach soil that is normally undisturbed by concentrated amounts of moisture. Depending on the clay content of the soil this may result in undesired movement deep in the ground. Either way, it can undermine the foundation.
5. Never place sand, sandy loam or rocks around the foundation. They are porous and allow water to pass quickly to the soil below, where the sun and wind cannot dry it out. Clay soils are non-porous, and are recommended for proper water drainage away from the house.
6. Never allow water to pond around the foundation. If water stands for very long you may be looking at drainage issues. Create a positive slope for water to naturally drain.