How Your Landscape Can Provide Foundation Protection
When homeowners think about their foundations, few take their landscape into consideration. It’s important to understand how landscaping affects your home – after all, your foundation and your yard typically meet and push against one another. Here at Baird Foundation Repair, we have proudly served Texas homeowners for over 50 years.
With a team as experienced as ours, you can rest assured that we understand the ins and outs of foundation repair and maintenance. Our team has organized this guide to help Texas residents better protect their home’s foundation while enjoying the benefits of their beautiful landscaping. When you need foundation or concrete repairs for your home or business, you need our team.
Foundation Protection with Yard Grading
Water is one of the most common causes of foundation damage. Too much water can cause your foundation to shift and settle, while too little can make the soil underneath contract and cause structural damage. When it comes to protecting your foundation – think about the effects of water first, not as an afterthought.
Yard grading should be your first defense against water damage. It is best for your yard to slope down from your home, so water doesn’t collect around your foundation. This is called a positive grade. In addition to properly grading your property, you can invest in extended rain gutters to further direct rainwater away from your home. If your lawn is always soggy, consider installing a French drain to redirect the water away.
Choose Plants Wisely for Foundation Protection
The plants you choose for your property are an important investment. Make an unwise choice, and your foundation can be at risk of damage. For instance, trees with shallow-spreading roots can work underneath your foundation, lifting your home or causing the substrate underneath to settle.
Then, it would make sense to choose a deep-rooting plant, right? Sort of. Be mindful that not all deep-rooting plants are friendly – some, like willows and sycamores, will work their way into your piping system in order to gain access to water. A good rule of thumb is to plant a tree at least fifteen feet away from your house.
Save yourself the headache of avoidable plumbing and foundation problems by planting native. Native flowers, trees, and grasses grow their roots deep into the soil, giving excess rainwater somewhere else to go, and requiring less frequent watering once established.
Let Your Landscape Work for You
If you’re struggling to protect your foundation from poor grading, improper drainage, or other water runoff issues, consider adding a rain garden to your landscape. Rain gardens have so many benefits, including:
- Diverting water away from your home’s foundation
- Reintroducing water back into the ground
- Reducing run-off into city culverts to reduce flood risk
- Presenting opportunities for unique landscape designs
- Supporting native plants and butterflies and keeping your property well-watered
Rain gardens are a logical and aesthetically appealing solution for many property issues. Consider creating one for your Texas home to keep your foundation protected from water damage and your landscaping beautiful for years to come.
Damaged Foundation? Reach Out to Your Local Foundation Repair Company
If your home’s foundation has succumbed to damage, reach out to our team at Baird Foundation Repair. We can correct water-damaged foundations, tilted chimneys, cracked walls, and more. Our team is trained to repair both residential and commercial foundations throughout Texas with offices in San Antonio, Corpus Christi, and Houston. For more information or to schedule your service, reach out to us today!
