After a Crazy Winter, It’s Time to Check Your Masonry
With any luck we have seen the last of this year’s schizophrenic cold, warm, cold, warm winter weather.
It feels like spring today and the real thing is right around the corner. Even though it feels great to have warm winter weather, it takes a toll on your masonry when cold winds blow again. Now is the time to check out the damage and begin planning the repairs to cement, masonry, stonework, gutters and landscape drainage that can cause seepage and runoff problems.
This winter’s manic cycles of frosts and warm weather have caused an alarming amount of expansion and contraction in concrete roads, paths, driveways, swimming pools, retaining walls . . . you name it, and if it’s made of concrete, it’s in worse shape today than 90 days ago. If they had cracks and crevices then, they need to be looked at now.
Much of the damage is due to this expansion/contraction effect – warm weather melts ice or snow, it leaks into open crevices or migrated into porous materials (soil/cement). As water freezes, it expands; slowly or even quickly causing damage that can get out of control if not repaired.
For example, if bricks in the walls of your patio or retaining walls have spalled, or lost their faces, it is usually an indication that they have been exposed to too much water and not enough drainage. The usual behind-the-scene culprits are raised ground levels, blocked drainage gulleys, and paving that is sloped towards the house walls, instead of away from it.
Blocked or leaking gutters and downpipes can also contribute to the damage created by the expansion and contraction of pooled, seeping, built-up water either in or behind your masonry.
Sometimes snow build-up and freezing temperatures can damage gutters and cause them to leak. Gutters and downpipes can shrink out of their joints; so check each joint carefully and push any dislodged sections back together. There are marks on gutter union brackets showing where the two adjoining sections should rest; allowing for expansion or contraction in either direction. Make sure downpipes are free of blockages and that adjoining sections of pipe haven’t sprung apart.
The expansion and contraction that takes place during our winter months can raise havoc on masonry walls, chimneys, walkways, patios and walls. It is important to repair masonry as well as gutters and downspout systems to lessen the impact of the effect of water all year long. In the short term, these efforts will improve your home’s comfort and in the long term maintain its curb appeal and long term market value.
We can help correct these problems. We’ll make an appointment, scheduled at your convenience, to visit and provide you with a plan to keep your home beautiful for years to come.
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