Homeowners can find themselves suddenly faced with frequent flooding problems in their basements and needing the services of a restoration company. It can happen at any time whether you just moved house or it’s your long time residence. Nothing shows up flooding problems as much as when the rainy season is upon us. You might think you have a structural problem but landscaping issues often contribute to these problems as well. Below are 5 issues you may need to address and could be a contributing cause.
1) Lawn graded in the wrong direction. Landscape grades should always slope away from your house and not towards it and can result in flooding. Water flows to the lowest point however the prospect of digging up your whole yard to regrade may be something you’d rather not do. Experienced landscapers recommend digging a dry creek bisecting the yard filling it with river rock or cobblestones diverting water away from the home. Alternatively a French drain can be installed where water flows into a gravel trench then into a pipe.
2) Watch where the water approaches your house. Some investigation during heavy rainfall can reveal the path the water is taking. Installing a sump pump to collect water and distribute it away from the house is an easy but can be costly.
3) Leave a gap between mulch and siding. Mulch used in landscaping can allow moisture to wick up and rot siding so leave a 6 inch gap. Brick or concrete that come in contact with mulch do not pose the same problems for landscaping.
4) Direct downspouts away from the house. Aim to have downspouts extended at least 20 feet away from the house if you have the room. Keeping gutters clear of debris allows water to flow freely into the downspouts and away from the house. For those who live anywhere that’s prone to really heavy rainfall consider using decorative rock around the home’s perimeter. Any overflow from gutters will hit and splash rather than creating holes in the soil.
5) Use grass barriers to redirect floodwaters. As mentioned before the best way to uncover the source of flooding is to get outside during wet weather. This is the best way to find out if your flooding issues are something other than structural in nature. Building up grass barriers and creating a path for the water to drain is another good way to keep water from flooding your basement.
Thanks to Calgary Water & Flood for these tips.