Peak Structural
Sinking Porch: Wrap around and falling down
Here's a shot of the concrete wrap-around patio that a homeowner said was just falling off the house. The Peak Structural Design team came out and measured that it had settled approximately 4 7/8" away from the house! Please note the downspouts in the photo. Rain gutters and downspouts are a great way to control roof runoff. However, the rain or melting snow needs to be carried far enough away from the house so it does not affect the foundation or footing. Our last house had downspouts that were trenched into the ground right next to our driveway. What was the result of years of that underground water drainage? Our concrete driveway was beginning to sink! Apparently, the builder did not pipe that water drainage to the end of the driveway, so over time the water found its way under the driveway. Water flow over time will compromise a foundation, footing, or, as in our case, a driveway. Be sure to direct the flow of water far enough away to discourage its affects. How far is that? According to State Farm Insurance, learningcenter.statefarm.com/residence/maintenance/wet-ba..., downspouts should extend a minimum of 10 feet from your home. There are other alternatives to having ten feet of downspout extensions such as those that unroll automatically during use (if they go out that far) to having the downspout feed underground to a French drain. Does that sound expensive? Not nearly as expensive as repairing an undermined foundation, footer or driveway! Ask me about it!
Photo taken by:
Peak Structural
Sinking Porch: Wrap around and falling down
Here's a shot of the concrete wrap-around patio that a homeowner said was just falling off the house. The Peak Structural Design team came out and measured that it had settled approximately 4 7/8" away from the house! Please note the downspouts in the photo. Rain gutters and downspouts are a great way to control roof runoff. However, the rain or melting snow needs to be carried far enough away from the house so it does not affect the foundation or footing. Our last house had downspouts that were trenched into the ground right next to our driveway. What was the result of years of that underground water drainage? Our concrete driveway was beginning to sink! Apparently, the builder did not pipe that water drainage to the end of the driveway, so over time the water found its way under the driveway. Water flow over time will compromise a foundation, footing, or, as in our case, a driveway. Be sure to direct the flow of water far enough away to discourage its affects. How far is that? According to State Farm Insurance, learningcenter.statefarm.com/residence/maintenance/wet-ba..., downspouts should extend a minimum of 10 feet from your home. There are other alternatives to having ten feet of downspout extensions such as those that unroll automatically during use (if they go out that far) to having the downspout feed underground to a French drain. Does that sound expensive? Not nearly as expensive as repairing an undermined foundation, footer or driveway! Ask me about it!
Photo taken by:
Peak Structural