Guide
Looking after a foundation
You cannot change the sand under your house. You can control most of the water that reaches it, and water is what moves sand. These habits cost little and suit any Orlando house, repaired or not.
Six things within your control
Roof water
Fit gutters where runoff is cutting into the soil. Add extensions so that downspouts empty several feet from the wall, onto ground that slopes away.
Grading
Soil should fall away from the slab on every side. Top up hollows where puddles form with clean sandy fill, and keep soil and mulch below the top of the slab.
Plumbing
Fix drips and running toilets promptly, and watch the water bill. An unexplained rise can mean a leak under the slab.
Irrigation
Aim sprinkler heads away from the walls, mend broken pipes quickly and give the lawn no more water than it needs.
AC and pool water
Lead the air conditioner's condensate pipe away from the slab edge. Do not drain a pool or backwash a filter against the house.
Trees
Large trees close to a house draw water from the soil and send roots under slabs and walks. Take an arborist's advice before planting near the house or removing a mature tree, since both change the moisture in the ground.
A walk around the house once a year
- Clean gutters and check downspout extensions before June.
- After the first big summer storms, look for washed-out soil along the slab.
- Photograph the cracks you already know about, with a coin for scale and the date.
- Try the doors and windows that have stuck before.
- Have someone look under a raised house for damp wood and leaning piers.
- Compare this year's photos with last year's.
After a tropical storm or a long drought
Both are worth an extra walk around. Look for new dips in the yard, soil washed from the slab edge and fresh cracks. The Florida Geological Survey recorded hundreds of ground collapses across the state when a tropical storm in 2012 brought record rain after months of drought.
If the house has been repaired, keep the papers together and read the warranty conditions. Some depend on you keeping drainage and plumbing in order.
Upkeep questions
Should I water my foundation, as people do in Texas?
That practice is for clay soils that shrink as they dry. The soil under Orlando houses is sand, and the state geological survey's advice here is to avoid overwatering. Keep water moderate and keep it away from the walls.
Do I need to do anything about a crack that has not changed?
Keep recording it. A crack that stays the same over several wet and dry seasons is behaving like a stable one. If it grows, the photos give an inspector a history to work from.
Ready to have the house looked at?
Only someone standing at the house can tell you what is going on under it. Call, explain what you have noticed, and ask for an inspection.
Describe the problem, book an inspection
Say where the cracks or dips are and when you first saw them. The independent local foundation repair company you reach can set a time to look at the house.
Call (407) 598-8829The call may be recorded. See how referrals are paid for and what happens to your details.