Tip #2 of “Are you ready for Winter? Is your home and basement?” Protect that foundation!

Welcome to the second post in our “Preparing your home and basement for the Winter” series.  Today it’s Tip #2 and we will talk about the foundation.

The foundation of your home is  just that, it’s the foundation of the building.  The foundation is what your home is built upon and what helps to keep your home structurally sound and standing tall and proud.

There are three types of home foundations: slab on grade, crawlspace and full basement.  A home’s foundation consists of several parts depending on the style of foundation.  All foundations have footings.  Footings support the foundation and are there to help prevent settling.  Other parts of the foundation may include a concrete floor slab and slabs that are in poured between the walls.

To ensure the health and structural integrity of your foundation, here are a few simple things you should check on and also, do before Winter sets in:

• Clear any debris away from your foundation.
• Clear gutters to ensure free flow of water.
• Ensure gutter water flow is pointed and flowing well away from the foundation.
• Watch for tree roots that may be growing down, around and/or into the foundation.
• Keep the grade on the correct slope – you may not be able to assess or fix this on your own.

Taking care of your foundation is one important step to ensuring your basement does not have water issues.