Bedrock Foundation Repair offers the following tips to watering and maintaining your home’s lawn and foundation:
1. Install good ground cover. This will prevent excessive moisture from seeping deep into the soil. This will also prevent erosion of the soil and excessive drying of the soil through evaporation.
2. Water the soil around the house during dry periods just enough to keep the grass green. More watering may be needed in areas with more abundant shrubbery and plants. The south and west sides of the house are more exposed to the sun, and they may need more watering to offset rapid evaporation.
3. Never water too close to the foundation. Stay at least 18 inches away from the base of the foundation.
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 shrink/swell potential of the soil, the soil may up-heave, or it may consolidate and lose volume. Either way, it can undermine the foundation.
5. Never place sand, sandy loam or rocks around the foundation. They are very 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, it will seep under the foundation, causing problems. Create a positive slope for water to flow away.
