Lesson Seven

Read previous lessons here.

So far, we've discussed

1. curing and shrinkage cracks in the foundation stem wall in the garage,
2. cracks in the garage floor,
3. cracks in the foundation stem wall of the house proper, the living area, and
4. raised foundations with crawl spaces

Music for your reading pleasure

"Water of Love," Dire Straits, 1978

Let's discuss water and how it affects our foundations.

Insurance companies regularly report that water is a major cause of homeowner claims, perhaps because it's not only an integral part of the human body, but it comes out of faucets and hoses, occupies over half of the surface area of the Earth, and even falls from the sky as rain, snow, sleet, and hail. We even sometimes freeze it in order to make the best of frozen margaritas -- LOL.

If you've ever seen pictures of the Grand Canyon, you know the power of water. Couple water with wind, as in a hurricane, and that power becomes even greater. Our homes are simply very small microcosms of the Grand Canyon or a hurricane, so the best thing you can do to help prevent cracks in your foundation, ceilings, and walls, is to keep water away from your foundation. There are several things you need to do to accomplish that:

1. Make sure the grading around your house -- the soil, concrete, and landscape materials -- slopes away from the house so that any water drains naturally by gravity away from your foundation.
   
   Concrete installers in many areas of the country do not understand how installing a walkway up against the foundation can negatively affect the foundation. The best walkway is one like that shown in the figure here, what I call the Arizona landscape:
   
   

   
   
   The walkway is away from the foundation and the rocks prevent water from hitting bare soil and splashing mud onto the siding. Some strategically placed pots of flowers and other small plants could create an beautiful effect here.

2. Keep plants away from the foundation, especially large plants and trees. Tree roots are notorious for damaging foundations, and some trees don't even belong on residential properties, like the one in this picture:

   

3. Refrain from trying to make your home look like a tropical paradise if you don't live in an area where water abundantly falls from the sky. If you want a tropical paradise, you can use a variety of succulents and vines outside and inside, hang lots of pictures of tropical paradises, or move to Hawaii or the Bahamas. The following picture shows a home in San Diego. It had a $600 monthly water bill and simply is not appropriate for a desert, even one with a Mediterranean climate.
   
   
   
   That home was only a few years old at the time of the inspection, and I warned my Clients that continued watering would ultimately lead to wall and ceiling cracks because the soil was mud and could not properly support the house. I need to stop by there and see what kind of problems they're having, not if they are having problems, but what kind.

4. Install gutters and downspouts on your house. Unfortunately, builders here are of the opinion that since we only get 11 inches of rain annually, on average, there is no need for gutters and downspouts. Nothing could be further from the truth because just as soon as an El Niño winter arrives with 23 inches of rain, and all bets are off.

That's it for this lesson. Still to be discussed:

1. foundations with basements
2. retaining walls
3. driveways and walkways
4. solid fences
5. chimneys
6. interior floors
7. interior walls
8. interior ceilings
9. pools and spas

For a previous blog entry on foundations not related to our lessons here, click here.

As always, if you are not comfortable discussing common cracks, hire a professional to help you.

Join us soon for Lesson Eight.

Be sure to scroll down for titles and quick links to some of my other blog entries.

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Classical music lover? Join the Classical Music Group.

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Some of Russel's other blog entries

1. 12 reasons why I won't comment on your blogs
2. How a Seller can cancel the purchase contract during the home inspection
3. What do you do when deceit is obvious? (chapter two)
4. How to help your Clients' house burn down. 
5. That just ain't the way we do it out here, Sonny Boy
6. Not responsible for advice not taken
7. Sometimes it's just a question of semantics and definitions
8. A true real estate nightmare affecting hundreds of people
9. I purposefully burned a bridge yesterday
10. What part of that don't you understand? (Reading 101, English 101, & Spanish 101)
11. If I trip just one more time, I'll have a baker's dozen
12. Out of sight, out of mind, skip the work, charge for it
13. "How much will it cost?" "$399 plus a $100 aggravation surcharge."
14. In a home inspection, if the thing works, the thing works
15. What do you do when deceit is obvious?
16. Sometimes it really is that simple (electric again)
17. Sometimes it really is that simple (attic)