Are you unsure what to put around the foundation of your house? The landscaping around your house foundation can have a major impact on the health of your home’s base. By being strategic, you can improve your curb appeal and decrease the chance of foundation issues.
The experts at Leveled Concrete have nearly 20 years of experience and have completed over 1000 successful foundation repairs in the Greater Houston region.
7 Tips for Landscaping Around Your House Foundation
These seven tips for landscaping near your house foundation will help prevent erosion, increase visual appeal, and avoid unexpected foundation remediation costs. Some of our tips involve the landscaping itself, while others are closely tied to irrigation planning.
1. Plant Large Trees at a Distance
Don’t plant trees too close to your home. Trees roots can pull moisture from the soil under your slab and cause foundation settlement. Not to mention, trees that are too close to your home can cause gutters to clog, which have further consequences for your house foundation if not rigorously maintained.
Take care not to plant trees too close to driveways and sidewalks. Tree root growth can lift and misalign concrete panels, causing damage and even dangerous walking and driving conditions. Homeowners can combat tree root disruption by installing tree root barriers.
2. Properly Grade Your Yard
Perhaps one of the most important foundation landscaping tips we have is to make sure your landscape slopes away from your home so that water can drain away. Landscaping next to your house foundation can add curb appeal and increase the value of your home. If you don’t account for drainage issues, you could be directing rainwater under your home, causing cracks in your concrete slab, or even creating bigger foundation issues.
The next couple of tips will cover foundation erosion prevention techniques that also involve landscaping to keep water away from your foundation.
3. Use and Maintain Gutters
Gutters are a great way to keep the rainwater that is shed from your rooftop from eroding the landscaping around your house foundation. Keep in mind, gutters require maintenance, even if you’re using some sort of gutter guard to prevent leaves, shingle sand, and other debris from clogging your downspouts.
In some cases, a clogged gutter can be worse than no gutter at all. The overflowing water erodes the soil around your foundation and can cause major damage to your home’s foundation.
4. Install a Swale if Needed
A swale is a drainage channel in your yard. The principle behind using a swale in your yard aligns with proper grading. By designing a clear path for water drainage in your yard, you can prevent the soil beneath your home from becoming too saturated and causing settlement or foundation problems. The simple landscaping ideas around your foundation can prevent costly repairs and improve curb appeal.
5. Be Strategic with Concrete Patios
Sidewalks, concrete patios, and driveways should be strategically placed around the foundation of your home. While patios are generally installed on a nearly flat plane, make sure you have a plan for directing water away from your foundation. Patios attached to your foundation should be designed so that water drains away from the home, towards the yard.
Be mindful of where you install patios and flower beds. Having a massive patio at the back of your house can lead to relatively dry soil. Having a fully landscaped and heavily irrigated flower bed in front of your house can cause high-moisture soil conditions. This imbalance can lead to problems over the years that may call for house foundation leveling.
6. Be Mindful About Watering & Sprinkler Maintenance
Automatic sprinklers systems and soak hoses can keep your landscape green and lush. They take a lot of the everyday work off your shoulders and make maintaining a garden a little bit easier. Just remember not to overwater, especially gardens adjacent to your foundation.
If you’re going to install soaker hoses or sprinklers near your home’s foundation, be sure to check for leaks regularly. If you do find a leak, address it immediately. Ongoing sprinkler leaks can weaken soil, create voids under your concrete slab, and allow for settlement.
7. Mulch Your Beds
Mulching your beds can be a great way to retain soil moisture during excessively hot periods. As a resident of the Greater Houston area, you are no stranger to heat. Protect your home’s foundation by mulching flower beds around your house foundation to retain moisture.
Already Experiencing Home Foundation Issues? – Leveled Concrete Can Help
With nearly 20 years of experience and over 1000 successful projects, the Houston foundation repair experts at Leveled Concrete have the know-how to fix your home’s foundation in no time. We serve Houston and its neighboring cities, and we offer a smart foundation repair warranty and foundation repair financing options that put the needs of our customers first.
Contact us today to schedule a free estimate from one of our professionals!