A1 Foundation Crack Repair Blog

Controlling water around your home's foundation is important. Water control is the single most important factor in ensuring a dry basement. Water control helps prevent problems, even if your home has a slab foundation or a crawl space foundation. This also accounts for business too. Foundation in a commercial building is the same as any home, and even though there is no basement, securing the outside is important.

Improper water control around your home's foundation causes many problems. Water can damage foundations by exerting pressure on the foundation (hydrostatic pressure). Water can also damage foundations by causing unstable clay soils to exert pressure by swelling or by causing these soils to contract and remove support from under the foundation. Other problems caused by improper water control include damaging construction materials and providing moisture for mold and termites.

Direct foundation damage from water usually involves cracks and/or bulges in foundation walls and footings. This can in turn cause uplift or settling of framing materials that can cause problems such as uneven floors, cracks in interior and exterior wall coverings, and doors and windows that do not operate properly. In extreme cases, water damage can cause structural failure. Indirect water damage includes damage to wood and other construction materials caused by liquid water infiltration and by water vapor that condenses in cool areas such as in basements and in crawl spaces. Many species of termites and all species of mold need moisture to survive. Controlling water around your home will reduce the chance of termite infestation and mold infestation.

Controlling water around your home's foundation is simple and inexpensive compared to repairing foundation damage and wet basements. Examine your water control measures at least every year as part of your regular home maintenance. Doing so will help prevent serious problems. If you are not familiar with checking your home's foundation contact us today and we'll be happy to inspect your home for you to ensure no leaks are present.

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We recently answered a couple of caller’s questions about exactly what foundational waterproofing is. Waterproofing is not limited to preventing foundation leaks and leaky basement repair services. This drives us to focus this blog post on the fundamental definition and concept of waterproofing.

Foundation waterproofing is a process which is designed to prevent water from penetrating a building. (Stay with us here, we promise to get beyond the obvious.)  Usually extensive waterproofing measures are added to both residential and commercial buildings at the time of construction, to provide moisture control from the start.  If it is not done at construction to save builder’s cost, then almost certainly, it will be done at a later date. 

From the point of view of its occupants, building waterproofing is important because it reduces internal humidity.  This makes the internal dwelling more comfortable to live in while simultaneously protecting objects inside the building from damage.  Realize also that a building’s waterproofing is important to the very integrity of the building itself.

Water damage to both commercial and residential property can be a serious issue.  With water come mold and a host of other problems which undermine foundations, make conditions in the building unsafe, and damage property inside the building. Wooden buildings can suffer rapid decay from water exposure, but water penetration can also damage concrete and other building materials.  In cold climates internal moisture will freeze, cause cracks, and promote structural breakdown. So realize that insufficient waterproofing is a problem year round, not just during the rainy season. In fact, it may be the water that you don’t see (that frozen water) that damages your home the most.

Waterproofing measures are not limited to the foundation.  Roofs, windows, and doors play equally important roles. Some degree of permeability in a building is necessary because building occupants generate humidity which must be safely vented. The goal of building waterproofing is to prevent as much water as possible from entering the building, and to provide outlets and drainage so that if water does get inside it is not allowed to sit. Surface systems include things like clapboards to protect the walls of a house, or shingles on the roof of a building. Internal measures can include membranes inside the walls, such as barrier insulation to keep water out. Waterproofing measures (roofs, windows, doors, foundations) create multiple barriers preventing water from entering the structure. Together, these make up your waterproofing system. Your friends at A1 Foundation and Crack Repair can help you out with establishing a solid waterproofing system.

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