While we might view our home’s foundations as solid structures the walls rest on, they too need a solid sub base to depend on. Many of us were raised on the tradition of a wise builder who built their house on solid rock.

And of a foolish person who built their house on sand, and saw it crashing down when rain came, and streams rose around or so the story goes. Now the rock on which the wise man built must have been a solid one, that the stream could not erode.

Unfortunately That’s Not True of All the Homes in Calgary

Calgary suburbs typically rise out of heavy, clay-based soil. However, the top soil layer is often a mixture of sand, silt, clay, and broken down organic matter the climate laid down over time.

While this produces magnificent gardens for enthusiasts, it can wash away in storms, and is responsible for land slips on slopes. Our foolish builders’ house might not have lasted long if they built in a flood plain.

How Gutters Are the ‘Foundations’ of Good Homes

Our forebears were wise, and situated our city above the floodplains of the Bow and Elbow rivers. That’s because they knew the soil could absorb the run off from the roofs of their small houses there.

However, the roofs of modern houses are a much larger expanse, and catch and shed far more water. That’s how our gutters have become the ‘foundations’ of good homes.  For if they were not there, then the water tumbling down would become a stream filtering through the top soil, and rinsing away under the foundations.

Foundations Need Support from Beneath To do Their Work

Builders construct most foundations on the assumption they will rest on solid ground. Their reinforcement, such as it is, is to prevent them cracking when the heavy, clay-based soil beneath heaves and subsides with damp and dry seasons.

Therefore, such foundations will not support a house when the soil washes away from under them, as happened low lying areas during the 2013 Alberta floods. However, homes on higher-lying areas with good drainage were largely undamaged when the rains came.

You Need to Look After Your Gutters Like Your Friends

Blocked, broken or leaky gutters, down pipes and runoffs may not be able to prevent water pooling around your house, and gradually, almost unobtrusively weakening your foundations. They require annual inspections and maintenance from companies like Valiant Exteriors, in order to continue being the ‘foundation’ of your good home.

More Reading

A Good Roof Is More Than a Low Price

The Best Time for Leak Spotting Gutters

Image: Cracked Wall Caused by Collapsing Foundation: Leonardo Aguiar BY CC 2.0