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Do gutters ruin foundation?

If gutters aren't effectively maintained, over the course of a few years, leaking from cracks and gutter overflow will continually trickle down the sides of your house leading to damage in your home's foundation. Unfortunately, you won't know you have a problem until the damage has been done.

nedstevens.com - How Gutters Can Affect Your Home's Foundation - Ned Stevens

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You may think about foundation issues as a result of poor construction, changes in soil or even pest infestation. The main culprit for wet basements and the need for foundational repairs, however, is clogged and improperly working gutters. If gutters aren’t effectively maintained, over the course of a few years, leaking from cracks and gutter overflow will continually trickle down the sides of your house leading to damage in your home’s foundation. Unfortunately, you won’t know you have a problem until the damage has been done.

How Gutters Protect Your Home’s Foundation

Gutter systems function by catching any precipitation that falls on the roof of your house and diverting the water through the gutters into the ground and away from your home. As the rainwater flows through the gutter it takes any organic material caught up in the water through the gutter system which can often get trapped or stuck. This material then creates clots in the gutter system that can cause water to back up and eventually spill over the sides of the gutter, rendering your gutters effectively useless. If the clogs in your gutter system are overlooked for too long, the walls and foundation of your home can accumulate structural damage as water spills down the walls of the house, possibly pooling at its foundation. The seriousness of gutter maintenance cannot be overemphasized in the prevention of damage to the foundation of your home.

How Water Damages Your Foundation

Water will always find the path of least resistance. It can flow through the tiniest cracks in your gutter at broken joints, over gutter clogs and around gutters that have slipped out of place. As it flows down the side of your home or just doesn’t get diverted away from your home, it will saturate your lawn and pool around your home’s foundation. This can bring about two major issues along with several other possible smaller issues. Pooling water at the foundation along with saturated soil around your home creates an enormous amount of pressure on the sides of your house. If left untreated, this pressure can cause the lower walls and basement of your home to push inward or crack. As the water begins to recede or dry up in warmer or more arid months, the soil around your home may begin to erode causing the foundation of your home to settle which can cause uneven floors or cracks in your home’s walls and chimney. Since water will go wherever it can, cracks in your foundation and walls mean that water can slip into your home leading to possible flooding and dangerous mold growth. Since gutters are the primary means of protecting your home’s foundation from the damage of rain and snowfall it is important to have your gutters regularly cleaned and maintained. Gutter cleaning can be a dangerous job as ladders and special equipment are needed. Don’t leave the health of your home and your home’s foundation up to chance. Let Ned Stevens make gutter cleaning easy this year. Call us for a free quote and to set up an annual plan to make sure your gutters are protecting your home and its foundation year-round.

Get $25 Off Your First Gutter Cleaning!

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How much would it cost to build a 12 16 shed?

A DIY build of a 12×16 shed can cost anywhere from $2,000 -$4,000 depending upon how many materials and tools you already have on hand. Also, the cost depends upon how intricate or simple of a shed design you choose.

durastorstructures.com - 12x16 Shed: Price, Siding Materials, Flooring & So Much More

For a list of materials for building a 12×16 shed, check out this article on How to Build a 12×16 Gable Shed.

Here are some of the tools needed:

Circular saw

Drill machinery and drill bits

Milter saw

6’ Ladder

Safety glasses

Hammer

Tape measurer

4’ level

Nail punch

Speed square

Extension ladder

2 sawhorses

If you do not already have most of the tools above, expect your overall shed cost to increase.

Time

Building a shed takes time especially if you want it done right. Expect to take at least a month or so of weekends to fully complete your 12×16 shed. Considering the amount of time that is required, you could calculate that in the overall cost of a DIY shed. Time is money. If you have plenty of time, then DIYing your shed will save you the cost of labor.

Labor

One of the main benefits of building a 12×16 shed by yourself would be saving on the cost of labor. The cost of labor contributes to the overall cost of a pre-built shed. However, if you are short on time and lack skilled carpentry experience, paying for another’s skilled labor will be worth it at the end of the day and 15 years down the road.

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