How to Protect Your Home’s Foundation During Renovations

Home interior renovation with exposed wooden studs and demolition work before structural updates — Pexels Image: CC0 License

Home renovations typically hold a whole lot of promise. Whether you’re introducing an extension or are creating a whole new kitchen, this work will inevitably bring you closer to whatever dream vision you hold for your home. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of work to get through before you see that end result. And, did you know that much of it can leave your home’s foundations at some risk?

Major changes can increase foundational risks like cracks and unwanted moisture. That can result in the need to entirely undo work such as plastering, flooring, and more, as a local foundation repair company attempts to address the issue.

To avoid that unpleasantness, you’ll want to protect your foundations throughout your renovation project. Keep on reading as we discuss how you can do that.

# 1 – Always Work With an Engineer

Construction worker inspecting a concrete block foundation wall during a building or renovation project — Pexels Image: CC0 License

Renovations are expensive, so you might want to skip professionals like engineers in favor of getting the job done. In reality, though, engineers are some of the most important professionals in your renovation team. Admittedly, you might get away with skipping this step with minor changes such as a kitchen refit, but if you’re dealing with anything that changes load-bearing in your home, such as wall removal or extensions, a structural engineer is non-negotiable.

That’s because these professionals take the time to assess the technicalities and load-bearing adjustments necessary to make your project foundationally viable. Aside from considering things like how to provide foundational support throughout renovation, they’ll work to map pipes in order to avoid unwanted leaks in your foundations, and will also take thorough pictures of your foundations at the start of the project, to make any new issues easier to spot.

# 2 – Work With Foundations in Mind

Woman contractor using a tablet while inspecting a home renovation project indoors — Pexels Image: CC0 License

It’s sad to say, but foundations tend to be a renovation afterthought. After all, you’re more concerned about what colors to paint those new walls than you are about what’s going on underground. This is only natural, but it could also be a pretty fatal mistake. The truth is that property foundations should feature in every stage of your renovation considerations.

This is true not just in terms of understanding how renovations will impact your foundations, but also when it comes to your processes themselves. Steps to particularly keep in mind throughout each renovation task include –

Awareness of current foundations: Always keep your current foundations in mind, especially if you intend to complete any digging work, as digging below the level of existing foundations can destabilize your soil.
Storage considerations: Your foundations aren’t designed to take the additional heavy loads of excessive building materials, so avoid storing things like bricks and heavy machinery up against foundation walls.
Managing heavy machinery: The vibrations caused by heavy machinery can lead to cracks and other issues if they happen too close to your foundations, so it’s always worth using smaller, handheld alternatives near foundation walls.

No one wants to redo their renovation. Bearing these foundation-based considerations in mind throughout ensures that you won’t have to!