Soil erosion has become a common phenomenon in today’s world. With large scale deforestation, the top layers of the soil are getting eroded or washed away due to heavy rainfall or floods, exposing the loose layers which highly affects both agriculture as well as the foundation of your home. You need not have to be a farmer to start worrying on this issue, if you are the owner of your home, you must start planning and taking precautions to protect your foundation from any kind of soil erosion.
Why does erosion occur?
Large scale urbanization is leading to a loss of more and more greenery throughout the world. What is meant here is that, owing to the construction of roads, buildings and other constructions, more and more forests are cut down. The roots of the trees acts as the anchor and keeps the soil firm, preventing it from washing away in case of heavy rains. But, once trees are cut down, the top layer of the soil becomes loose and thus erodes.
4 Preventive Measures to undertake
Erosion can slowly and gradually damage the foundation of your home. If the soil underneath your home is eroded, the ground will become weak, leading to the destruction of the entire construction. Erosions also happens due to landslide and in such cases the entire house gets destructed. So, you should take preventive measures beforehand to avoid any such unforeseen circumstances.
- Involve An expert
There are some really good foundation repair services in Little Rock, whom you need to contact if you feel that erosion is damaging the foundation and is acting as a threat to your home. Foundation repair services in Little rock have good expertise in handling such issues and can recommend you with the best course of action according to your requirements.
- Plant Trees
As already mentioned, trees, shrubs and bushes are a great way to restrict erosion of the soil. Plant them around your house to avoid any future destruction to your foundation. But, remember not to plant trees very near to your house as its roots can damage the foundation. If the soil around is not suitable for vegetation, then opt for using rocks, gravels and the like. If too much damage is already done, then look for a good and reputed foundation repair service to take the matter in their hands. With the advancement of technology, these service providers use an advance system which is installed beneath the foundation to give support to the structural load. These are generally made up of steel and concrete.
- Build A Retaining Wall
A retaining wall is a barrier which is installed or anchored at the bottom of the slope, which prevents the soil from further gushing down. This structure is designed to put up a stiff resistance against the lateral pressure of the soil or the entire gravitational force which holds the slope in place.
- House Levelling
This method helps in keeping the house in its best condition. A pier and its support beam may get damaged over time and the replacement need may arise. Even if you have a concrete foundation, the danger of sagging is always there active. So, in such cases house leveling can help. But at the same time you need to be careful about not doing further damage, hence employ experts to avoid any risks. Even constructing mini terraces beneath the house can also help. This method is similar to that of terrace farming, which farmers employ for growing rice.
Therefore, you can apply either of these methods to redirect the damage that has already been done to the foundation of your house and a good foundation repair company must be employed to alter further damage due to soil erosion.