How It Can Wreck Your Home

You might be surprised to hear that something that surrounds all of our homes and families could be dangerous. But it could be true: garden soil can cause havoc to your home and family life if you aren't careful. Here are several things that can happen.

Poisoning

In certain areas, there is a chance that the soil in your garden could have dangerous levels of chemicals, contaminants, or lead in it. As we should all know by now, any of those things are not good for human consumption and can lead to poisoning and illness. If you have young children, you should check out the soil quality in your locality.

Soil is one of those things that kids just love to eat - for reasons unknown - but if you have lead out there you will want to put a stop to it sooner rather than later. Soil is also dangerous because little creepy crawlies like to lay their eggs in it. And if your child is munching away quite happily, then there's every chance those eggs could end up in their stomach.

(Picture source)

Expansive Soil

Expansive soil is a huge problem in the United States and has caused damage to around a quarter of all homes in the country. It expands when it is wet and then shrinks when it is dry, This means that, over time, the areas around your home can become unsupported by the very ground they stand on.

You may not even notice the problem until you start seeing think cracks appearing. This could mean you will need to tend to your foundations. At this stage, it is important to get some professional help in because it isn't something you can do yourself. Look at the Foundation Repair Pros website to see the sort of thing you might need help with.

Collapsing Trees

If your garden has large trees in it, then it's another good reason to check the type of soil you have out there. The problem for trees is that they need their roots to be in a firm environment. If the soil in your garden doesn't drain easily, this could cause a problem for the roots as they will eventually weaken. And if there is a period of strong winds, that makes it more likely that the trees will topple.

Make sure your soil is draining properly and remove the problem if you can. You may need a specialist to come in. But, if it is clay-based soil in there, then it will hold the water naturally. In this case, you might have to consider getting rid of your trees altogether.

Soil quality isn't something anybody has in mind when they buy or build a new home. But as you can see, it can have serious effects on the health of your family and your property. Make sure it is something on your checklist of questions to ask when you are thinking about where to move to.

Although major problems are rare, they do happen, and you need to be prepared for when they do. While it won’t have much effect on the value of your home, it will certainly cost you in the long run if you leave the issues unattended.