January 23, 2012 at 10:20 AM

Indiana homeowners are smart, resourceful and willing to protect their investment in their homes.  After all, your home is your biggest asset, and you count on it to give you returns over the long run.  Your home's foundation is the most important system in your house, and homeowners should be aware of the issues that can affect its stability.

• Soil Compaction: When your home was built, your builder had to dig a hole and remove soil in order to make room for your home's basement, crawlspace and/or foundation.  If the site was not properly prepared, or if the back-filled soil is unstable, the shifting and settling of soil can affect your foundation.
• Expansive Soils:  Depending on the amount of moisture in the soil surrounding your home, it may expand or contract as temperatures change. Expansion during rain, or contraction during drought, exerts forces on your foundation.
• Poor Drainage or Plumbing Issues:  Do your gutters and downspouts direct water far enough away from your home? Does your landscaping support proper drainage? Have you checked your plubming lately?  Excess water around your home's foundation can weaken it over time. 
• Trees:  Whether they grow roots that exert pressure on, or under, your foundation...or grow large enough to pull water out of the soils surrouning your home... trees and their impact on soil conditions surrounding your home should not be ignored. 

If you see any of the signs or symptoms of foundation damage around your home, contact us for a free inspection. We'll help determine exactly what's affecting your property and the proper solution to address it.