The Ultimate Home Maintenance Guide – Part 3 of 7 – Foundation
If you’ve just bought your first home, sooner or later the question will dawn on you…what do I have to do to maintain it? Or perhaps you’re a long-time home owner and have been blindsided by expensive repairs. Even the wisest among us has been guilty of underestimating the cost of home maintenance and repairs. The changing weather conditions of our amazing location in central Ontario present a variety of challenges you want to stay on top of as the seasons change.
In this seven-part series, we have been laying out the ultimate home maintenance guide (Romana King, Money Sense). Use this guide and feel confident that you have done everything possible to keep your house in top condition, avoid larger costs that result from poor maintenance, and have a budget plan in place so you’re not caught off guard by expensive repairs.
In the third installment of our seven-part series, we are digging deep to focus on your foundation.
FOUNDATION
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a study in a troubled foundation…and this is not something you want your home to be on a sight-seeing list for! A damaged foundation can result in water leakage in your basement, and in extreme cases, serious structural problems.
Conduct an annual inspection for hairline cracks in your home’s foundation, cracks that become wider over time, cracks that follow your concrete block foundation in a step pattern, or cracks above windows.
Depending on the time of year, you may have to remove snow and debris from the foundation to avoid water damage and pests invading the home.
Check the base of your home and the basement for mould and mildew. Your nose and a flashlight are the best inspection tools, checking for signs behind storage areas and fixtures like the hot water tank.
Mould can be removed with one part rubbing alcohol (90% or more), and two parts water. Do not use bleach, which does not penetrate porous material to kill mould at the root.
Finally, determine where the mould-inducing moisture is coming from. Do you need a de-humidifier for damp air? A sump pump for sewer and drain back-ups? Water seepage from foundation cracks? Attend to those immediately before more expensive damage can occur.
Annually
Fill cracks with epoxy.
Every year. $150 to $1,000
Clean up mould and mildew.
As often as necessary. $20
As Necessary
Mould testing and remediation.
One-time cost. $9,000 to $17,000
External waterproofing of foundation.
One-time cost. $8,500
Internal waterproofing of unfinished basement.
One-time cost. $3,300 to $4,950