The Homeowners Guide to Foundation Protection During A Drought

Table Of Content

• Feds say he masterminded an epic California water heist. Some farmers say he’s their Robin Hood
• Draught Proofing: 11 Ways to Eliminate Draughts
• Step 1: Air seal your attic (and the rest of your house, too)
• A Beginner's Guide to Drought-Tolerant Landscaping in California
• Fill gaps around your door and window frames with silicone

The less obvious areas are keyholes, kitchen cupboards (where pipes are likely to penetrate walls), loft hatches and downlights. If you have caused damage to the property, either intentionally or through negligence, the onus is on you to fix issues caused. Visit our tenant rights guide to find out more about your statutory rights and tackling common renters' issues. A keyhole cover is a metallic disc that stops draughts and slides to the side when you put your key in – a cover costs about £3.

Feds say he masterminded an epic California water heist. Some farmers say he’s their Robin Hood

This can be cut slightly oversize and squeezed into place to ensure draughts are sealed. Fit draught proofing strips between the door and the frame, often a brush to the bottom and rubber strips either screwed or glued to the frame. Areas to focus on are floor boards, skirting boards, where window and door frames meet the wall and the ceiling-to-wall junctions.

Draught Proofing: 11 Ways to Eliminate Draughts

Clay soil is very common in Texas, and Jean-Louis Briaud, professor of civil engineering at Texas A&M in College Station has compared clay soil to a sponge. Drought causes many threats to the integrity of your home, which is something that many homeowners don’t realize until they’ve experienced it. Extended periods of dryness cause foundations to shift, crack, and sink when the surrounding soil loses essential moisture. No matter how well sealed your windows, glass is not as good an insulator as a solid wall, so you will often feel colder in a room with a large window or glazed door. While sunlight in the day might offer some relief and welcome natural warmth, this isn't the case in every zone and every home, and at night, you will be glad of thick drapes.

Step 1: Air seal your attic (and the rest of your house, too)

The shrubs can get large but it’s best to cut them low to the ground every year to refresh the plant so it grows and blooms again. It blooms profusely with white flowers, providing excellent cover to birds and other animals. Draughty floorboards are a common issue in a lot of period homes with original floors. They add a lot of character as space, but come with the possibility of gaps that can allow draughts up and into the room, especially if you are dealing with floorboards on an upper level of your house. 'Insulation can help reduce energy consumption and save money on heating costs. It also helps in improving indoor air quality, which can be beneficial for people with asthma or allergies,' the expert says.

A Beginner's Guide to Drought-Tolerant Landscaping in California

Air sealing is the process of finding and plugging all of the gaps, cracks, and crevices in your home. But if you don’t also address all the tiny gaps in your home (and your under-insulated attic) it won’t solve the real problem. Every little opening in your house—especially in the attic—provides an opportunity for heated air to rise and escape up and out of the home. The purpose of a chimney is to draw air to feed the fire and to take the smoke away from the room. As a consequence, an unused chimney is both a source of a draught and a means of exacerbating other draughts.

Ideas for Draught Proofing a Loft Hatch

For instance, species like lavender and some varieties of lilies are both drought tolerant and welcoming to hummingbirds and other local inhabitants that help pollinate the flowers throughout the garden. If the amount of maintenance needed is not a determining factor for your landscape, consider picking plants native to California or regions with Mediterranean climates. These plants will react positively with the external environment — from coping well with various California soils to surviving on little water — and attract organisms such as bees and butterflies. Think about the amount of work you’re willing to dedicate to your garden. While choosing solely drought-resistant plants may accomplish the primary goal, many types of grass and shrubs require continual maintenance to avoid creating a jungle in the yard.

In fact, too much summer watering can kill many native plants, so expect to reduce their water usage down to a monthly drink if there’s no rain. The strangely named black sage (Salvia mellifera) actually has fragrant feathery green leaves and stalks of white flowers with violet edges. This hybrid comes from Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, one of the state’s premiere native plant gardens, as a cross between black sage and Sonoma sage (Salvia sonomensis).

During her BA in English Literature and Creative Writing, she gained writing experience in the US while studying in New York. Megan also focused on travel writing during her time living in Paris, where she produced content for a French travel site. She currently lives in London with her antique typewriter and an expansive collection of houseplants. But before we get to the frames, look at filling any gaps between the window or door frames and the masonry [such as the brick/block] it sits within. 'This is where lots of air escapes from, so you should focus on these gaps first,' George explains. Turn off the furnace and water heater and turn on exhaust fans.

The best draught excluders to buy for your home for winter 2023 - The Times

The best draught excluders to buy for your home for winter 2023.

Posted: Fri, 27 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

This Storybook cottage’s native plant wonderland shows how gorgeous no grass can be

Thereafter, the movement of people around the house, moving in and out, and naturally opening and closing windows and doors will deal with other ventilation needs. Letterbox draught excluders are popular, as are letterbox plates, which stop cold air getting in without interfering with any mail deliveries – they cost under £10. Sash windows, especially old single-glazed ones, are notorious for being draughty. Not everyone wants to replace their traditional sash windows, but if you do, then installing A-rated double glazing could save between £95 and £115 a year on the heating bill of a typical home (depending on its size). And because they are California natives, they are a useful addition to any habitat garden. And unlike many other sages and salvias that demand full sun, hummingbird sage does well in dappled shade, such as you would find under an oak tree, says Meyer.

For a detailed, step-by-step guide, read How to find air leaks in your house. And those gaps are everywhere—in the foundation, the walls, the attic, in your chimney, your attic entrance, your recessed lighting fixtures, the holes for wiring and plumbing. The problem is that your house is probably cycling air at 3 to 4 times the amount necessary, which makes it very difficult for even the best HVAC system to efficiently control the temperature. It also can have a negative effect on your home’s indoor air quality.

Less than a year after facing historic water shortages, California this week was declared drought-free thanks to a year of epic rains, with an El Niño forecast that could keep wet conditions going into 2024. With these tips in mind, here are their suggestions for shouldn’t-be-missed drought-tolerant plants. Rising energy prices on both sides of the Atlantic are highlighting the increasing cost of living and learning how to cut energy bills is becoming an increasing priority for many of us. If the insulation in your attic doesn't reach the top of the floor joists, there's not enough to trap heat. Visit a home improvement store for DIY attic insulation or hire someone to get the job done. Or, discover how you can work with Sealed to get your home completely air sealed… with an energy-savings guarantee.

These South African natives are bulletproof in SoCal gardens, seeming to thrive in hot sunny locations. They’re a member of the mint family, so they spread fairly easily, and when the flowers dry, they continue to add interest in the garden. And like most household repairs, the longer you wait to call a professional to take a look at your foundation, the more extensive and expensive the repairs will be. So inspect your home often for damage and don’t delay when you see the first signs of cracking.

Hold a lit incense stick by windows, outlets, doors, and any other suspected areas. Use 2-part foam or foam board + sealant to air seal and insulate the wooden panel (called rim joist) where the foundation meets the structure of the house. You can also get a professional energy audit (many local utilities offer them for free or at a low cost) to help locate trouble spots that are causing heat to escape.

All across the country, droughts are taking a serious toll on crops, livestock, plants, and even the foundations of homes. Homeowners are faced with tens of thousands of dollars of damage each year due to foundation repairs, some of which could be prevented. The cost of foundation repairs can reach $100,000 or more, and these costs are not often covered by homeowners’ insurance. Reading up on which type of heating is the cheapest to run is a great way to ensure your energy costs are as low as possible for future winters or if you are remodelling. However, this year you can get ahead of the cold weather and high energy bills with these expert draft-proofing tips that can make a real difference in your home.