Rules of Thumb: Diagnosing Foundation Problems part III

Landscaping & Foundation Problems

Did You Know: Narrow side yards, irrigated yards or poorly graded yards may contribute to a foundation problem.

Things like narrow side yards, irrigated yards or poorly graded yards may contribute to a foundation problem. Below, we have a few illustrated examples of what may be a contributing factor to foundation failure.

To summarize:

• Trees steal moisture from the soil under the home's foundation & may cause foundation settlement.
• Irrigated grass usually adds water - more water than actually needed.
• Deco drains usually inject water when there are no drain points (most don’t have them).
• Narrow side yards typically have poor drainage and accumulate water / moisture.
• Gabled roofs without gutters that dump into narrow side yards can exacerbate a poor drainage problem.
• Sloped topography can accumulate moisture on the high side (think of a dam in a river).
• Fill areas can be candidates for foundation settlement (this greatly depends on how the area was impacted).
• Cut areas can be candidates for foundation heave, especially those with an overburden.

As mentioned in previous blogs, none of these rules of thumbs are absolute and are guide posts only. For example, I have seen on rare occasions, the cut areas over excavated accidentally during construction and filled back and under compacted causing settlement. Never the less, these are good guide posts that can be valuable in adding to an understanding of an issue.

Next: Rules of Thumb IV:  https://www.foundationaz.com/blog/rules-of-thumb-for-diagnosing-foundation-problems-part-iv-foundation-types

Previous: Rules of Thumb II: https://www.foundationaz.com/blog/rules-of-thumb-diagnosing-foundation-problems-part-ii