Foundtions and all this rain (houses, neighborhood, inspector)

[loves2read]

I am thinking all this rain cannot be good for foundations...I am starting to get concerned about the areas around my eaves' line where the water is really running over the gutters with this heavy, persistant rain...I have a couple of spots where the straps have popped and the eave tilts and water comes out like a hose...

I think some of the weep holes along my foundation line might be getting water backed up into them because of how wet the beds are and how the splash effect has moves some of the dirt/mulch...
You really can't get out in the beds to do much checking either...

anyone have any professional/practical knowledge about this?
are we likely to have problems w/houses settling poorly or foundation problems if this persists (Heaven forbid) or after we start drying out?

[kt2le]

I'm certainly no expert but I don't think you'll have problems as long as the water isn't ponding next to the house. Proper drainage is the key and it's got to drain AWAY from the foundation or else you run the risk of water getting UNDER the foundation, which could cause heaving and other damaging circumstances. If the water gets high enough on the foundation and exterior wall to lap up above the brick ledge and weep holes, you run the risk of it entering the house under the stud walls. That happened to us once and it was a MESS. We had to add drainage along one side of the house since the water wasn't draining properly. The water rose up above the brick ledge and seeped into the house, soaking the carpeting in two walk-in closets and part of a bedroom. Lesson learned!

[loves2read]

well--don't thinkreally, really hope) that water got under the foundation--but can't say that it didn't after all we had....our lot is very flat in the front and sides and only really slopes down about halfway from the back deck

did not see it really standing in any of the flower beds after the rain stopped--but it rained SO HARD here at times that the gutters could not handle it and water ran over the gutters and it was pouring ----

of course--some houses in our neighborhood don't have gutters at all--the rain just comes down off their rooflinw where ever so those houses would have more of a problem than we do, I would think....
I am going to get my husband to look around the beds this weekend--he is off Friday--and see if we need to move some of the mulch/dirt back...
our termite inspector has cautioned us about having too much mulch too close to the house as well because that encourages bugs to come in through the weep holes...so I have tried to watch that...

[drjones96]

It's good for foundations to stay moist right? To prevent dry cracking right?

But maybe not just sitting in ponded water....hmmm

[momof2dfw]

Your foundation will be fine as long as no water is ponding next to it or even w/in 6' of the foundation in your yard. If you find that you have an area of your yard that is holding water see if regrading it will help and get it to drain off of your property into the proper spot or putting in a french drain. If your gutter downspouts are too close to the foundation for you then you can connect them to a french drain or put extensions on them that go past the flower beds on then on into the yard and away from your foundation - this also helps prevent your flowerbeds, mulch, etc from getting washed out.