Foundation & Basement Repair in Carbondale, CO

Some homeowners might be concerned about their trees potentially creating foundational damage. You may decide that it might be best for you to just get rid of the tree altogether. Fortunately, you may not have to resort to such drastic measures just to protect your foundation. 

Many people are reluctant to cover all their crawl space vents and access ports, because they do not want to lift flooring to allow access to their crawl space from inside their homes. There are certain covers that can open and close, however. Crawl space doors, as they are called, are becoming more common. 

The Benefits 

The most obvious benefit of choosing a crawl space door rather than a simple vent cover is that it can be opened and closed as needed. This ensures you have access to your crawl space from outside when needed, but that your crawl space is otherwise secure. This is achieved by ensuring that the door forms a water-tight seal. 

This is very useful for those who have difficult-to-use internal access spots and homes in which the internal access points are smaller than the exterior crawl space vents or doors. Hypothetically, well-made crawl space doors impart the benefits of external access points or crawl space vents without the drawbacks and dangers of leaving the vents open. 

The Issues 

The main problem with crawl space doors, or vents that can be opened and closed, is that many homeowners forget to close them for days or even weeks at a time. This defeats the purpose and leads to the exact same issues in a crawl space as would have been present if the vents were not covered at all. 

Likewise, these vents and doors have their own sets of issues to contend with. For example, these kinds of vents and covers need to form a proper seal in order to be effective. If they do not fit well, they become warped, or the sealant starts to crack and wear away, moisture and pests will be able to get into your home quite easily, causing dampness and damage in just the same way as open vents would. As such, it is important to be aware of the condition of your crawl space door. 

It is impossible to prevent concrete deterioration. All concrete experiences some sort of damage over time, especially in areas where it is frequently exposed to water, like a foundation, driveway, or pool deck. As a matter of fact, even when it’s only a few days old, concrete still develops micro-tears because of the material it’s made from. 

Given the fact that soil shrinkage and displacement is also inevitable, you shouldn’t be surprised if your concrete slab settles and breaks. Is there any way to avoid this?  

• Soil 

When soil shrinks and compacts, the particles become displaced and loosen up. As the soil disperses, it’s no longer able to support the slab. When the slab is put under pressure, more than it can withstand, it breaks apart and settles against the displaced soil. 

Soil displacement is inevitable, but there are things you can do to discourage it. Grand Junction’s soil is incredibly dry, but it’s coarse and sandy. This means that soil expansion and shrinkage is not common, but displacement due to erosion is likely. Having proper yard drainage and making sure your soil stays as dry as possible can help deter this natural process.  

• Concrete 

Making sure your concrete is structurally sound is the best way to avoid cracks and breakage. If there is soil erosion, you can prevent your slab from breaking by limiting exposure to weakening substances. Protect your concrete from water, snow, and salts to make sure it doesn’t slowly deteriorate. 

Driveways, patios, and pool decks should be covered to limit climate exposure. You should also avoid placing heavy objects on the concrete, and if you must, make sure the weight is distributed as evenly as possible. This means that cars should be parked in the middle of the driveway and no heavy furniture should be placed on one side of the patio.