When considering maintaining your foundation, it can certainly pay off to take preventative measures otherwise, you might pay a lot more in repairs than ever expected. If you plan to live in your home for decades or even hope to sell it one day and make a profit, then it only makes sense that you would care for your investment. Below is a cross section of foundation repair costs versus trouble-shooting basics.

Foundation repair costs

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If you have a sneaking suspicion that your foundation is damaged because you are experiencing squeaky floors and are noticing cracks in your foundation, then you definitely need to get in touch with and hire a professional immediately. Foundation settlement can cause extensive structural damage to your home. Repairng a foundation can be a costly job, but the more informed you are of your options, the more prepared you become to find a solution you can afford. The only caveat is if you don’t repair your foundation right away, this can lead to both irreparable damage and unsafe structures. The biggest nightmare is having your family home condemned. As a rule of thumb–the longer you wait, the worse it gets.

The national average for home foundation repair costs is $3,500, although most homeowners spend between $1,610 and $6,000. As of 2015, the most you might spend is $10,000. This is according to a report put out by HomeAdvisor members. The minimum cost would be $900. As you can see, that’s quite a chunk of change that many people don’t usually have on hand. The two common methods used for a sinking and cracked foundation is piering and slabjacking. Piering is the installation of underground supports to lift and support the concrete. The repair professional will dig many feet into the ground that is placed on your foundation, which is raised with hydraulics. Slabjacking is where grout mixture is pumped into the space under the concrete foundation and floats the foundation back to its original foundation. Piering is the more expensive option, but is also a more permanent solution. Slabjacking is less expensive but can be affected by future earth shifting.

Troubleshooting basics

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After a repair or while your foundation is still new, it’s important to troubleshoot as a preventative measure. One thing you can do for minor hairline cracks is to clean them and fill them with an epoxy glue made specifically for concrete crack repair. Another maintenance tip is to keep your soil at consistent moisture levels. In dry periods, keep the soil moist to prevent it from shrinking. Install rockbeds around 18-24 inches away from your foundation. The let the rain and your sprinklers penetrated deep into the soil. Just be careful not to overwater your soil.

Also, some people recommend watering your foundation, but that isn’t the best idea. The reason is because you cannot predict how much rainfall you will get that year. In addition, you want to monitor your drainage and check for collecting water in low areas. It is essential to have properly sized and installed gutters. The downspouts should discharge water 5 feet from a foundation built on sandy soil and 10 feet away from a foundation built on expansive soil.

Next, you want to take control of potential erosion. Install erosion control systems to make sure your foundation and any surrounding slopes are stable. Last but not least, you should perform a yearly plumbing inspection. This means checking your entire plumbing system from sewer lines to sprinkler systems for leaks. Be sure to repair your leaks as soon as you find them.

With the proper maintenance, you can protect your foundation for years to come while saving on foundation repair costs.