A slab foundation is a home that is built on a concrete substructure, it is typically utilized in shore homes and warmer climates. A slab foundation will level your home, whereas a foundation with a crawlspace or basement creates a breakup from the soil.
Contrary to popular belief, homes on a slab foundation still need gutters because, instead of the possibility of having basement flooding, your concrete foundation is susceptible to cracking and premature aging.
How to Protect Your Slab Foundation From Water Damage:
The structural integrity of your slab foundation can become compromised in many different ways. Firstly, water can wear down your concrete foundation, through exposure to pooling or constant moisture buildup within the soil around your home. The damp soil can soften and the durability of your foundation can become disrupted.
Temperature fluctuations, drawn out by water’s ability to absorb and retain temperature, can cause contraction and expansion of your slab foundation. Concrete is an inflexible solution, so this expansion and contraction can cause cracking and moving, causing unlevel foundations over time. As your concrete expands, your soil can become lifted and disturbed.
This lifting and sinking of the topsoil around your substructure is called heaving. Similarly to tree root growth, as the density of the soil changes and loosens, your concrete foundation can push and pull the top soil around your home. This settling will also cause cracks in the soil, uprooting your slab foundation.
Even if your slab foundation already has cracking, to further protect that concrete slab from erosion, expansion and contraction, and water pooling, it is imperative that your home has a proper gutter system. A lack of proper gutters can cause landing water to come through the slab foundation cracks and into your home.
Our Technicians at Russo Seamless Gutter are trained and equipped to provide the best advice to best benefit your home type, and as a family business, Russo Seamless Gutter cares about the integrity of your land and home.
