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Eavestroughing/Drainage
This can then erode the brick, block or concrete wall and thus create problems affiliated with mould or in extreme cases - flooding. Commonly, the eaves or down-pipe is improperly sized or not kept clean of debris/leaves, which can cause the gutters to spill out over the sides - further eroding the soil beside the foundation.
In winter months, the water can then freeze and back up into the roofing system or erode the fascia and soffit boards, all of which costs money to repair. A simple method of handling water entry into basements is merely the extension of the downpipes away from the foundation wall or re-grading the soil so it has a positive slope away from the area. High costs affiliated with excavation and waterproofing can thus be saved, simply by ensuring that you control where the water is diverted. |
If you have water coming though your roof, shingles are missing and scattered to the four winds, curling at the edges, look brittle or break off when walked upon - this would be best time to get your roof re-shingled. Most roof shingles are designed for a 15 to 25 year life span and so itʼs reasonable to assume that this part of home maintenance is an important aspect to an energy efficient home. Inadequate ventilation in the attic, inadequate or poorly placed insulation or none at all - all drive up energy bills and after all, the roof is the first point of protection to a homes interior and an important part of the effective use of energy (heating and cooling) for home comfort. In a built up roof (hot tar and felt paper) or rolled roofing application (granulated sheets of rolled shingles, torched or welded together), the addition of insulation prior to a new roof being installed is again - money well spent. We would highly recommend this practice as a method of how to save even more money (not to mention the costs to repair the interior of the home - if the roof shingle or membrane has surpassed its expected life span
Eavestroughing and down-pipes are an important part of a homes basic components and should be in good working order and sized to carry the expected volume of water away. Inadequately extended down-pipes which spill out near the foundation wall can eventually lead to erosion of the soil in the area and allow water to penetrate into cracks or openings in the wall system and potentially flood the basement. This can be rather routine, particularly where the soil or grade is negatively sloped (toward the foundation) and thus tends to run to the wall.