After a long winter, spring has finally sprung. But before you can open the windows, you must clean them. We’re talking about spring cleaning and making sure your home's foundation is properly sealed for the upcoming wet weather. And to make this daunting task seem a little more manageable, we’ve created a small guide to go over the most important places to check in your home. Think of it as your roadmap to ensuring a clean and healthy home for your family for years to come.
1. Do a quick inspection of your foundation
Take a little walk around your home and inspect your foundation closely for cracks. If you notice any larger cracks, it would be advisable to repair them quickly before the spring waters infiltrate themselves into your basement, which can cause mold and a slew of other health problems.
If you notice any hairline (very thin) cracks, make note of them as well. The problem with hairline cracks is that they often go unnoticed, and like any other concrete crack, can quickly turn into a bigger structural issue if left untreated. The biggest mistake homeowners can make is ignoring these types of cracks or assuming that they are difficult to repair due to their small width.
2. Test your basement air quality
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, health problems associated with poor indoor air quality include eye irritation, allergies, headaches, and respiratory problems such as asthma. These problems can be directly related to the presence of mold and dust mite infestation in the home. One of the recognized solutions to addressing these health issues is effective moisture control. Luckily a well-installed dehumidifier unit can solve most of these problems, once foundation cracks have been repaired.
3. Check your driveway and outside structures
Concrete driveways have what’s called controlled joints. These joints or seams are put into the concrete while it’s still wet so that as the concrete dries and cures, it will crack in those joints and not through the field. But unfortunately, there is really no 100% surefire way to keep a concrete driveway from cracking through the fields, especially if you live in an area with drastic changes in temperature and seasons, such as Canada and most of the US.
Concrete driveway cracks can happen anywhere at any time, but they are especially prevalent during the defrosting cycle of the spring since changes in humidity and temperature will cause the concrete to expand and contract more often. Driveway cracks can often be repaired by the typical homeowner and can save thousands of dollars in repairs if they are done early enough before further damage is caused.
Conclusion
After taking these three steps (which shouldn't take more than an hour), you should be in a better position to evaluate the current state that your home and foundation is in, and what steps you should be taking to minimize any damage that winter has caused. Flexomeric stocks the best contractor-grade products, made simple for any do-it-yourselfer to use for their home repairs.
Check out our range of products, or contact us if you would like to know more about how to easily tackle your own repair project. Have a great spring 2018!