With the most recent wave of storms in the St. Louis area has seen lots of damage and flooding.
The biggest cause of flooding for homeowners is the grading around their home. If the grading is not set up to properly run away from your home, all that water ends up sitting against your homes foundation. When water sits against your homes foundation it causes damage to your home and can eventually find it’s way inside leading to extensive interior damage which can be very costly to clean up.
Maintenance
Have mulch around your home? Be sure to leave a 6 inch gap from your homes foundation. Moisture held in the mulch bed can rot siding when left sitting against it for long periods of time. It can touch brick or block but not siding. Gutters should be kept clean and downspouts should extend as far away from your home as you have the room for. If your downspouts release the water to close to your home that water will build back up against your foundation.
Identify Your Problem Areas
The best way to diagnose a grading or drainage problem is to get a little wet, and venture outside when it is raining to see where your problem areas are. If you have noticed that your homes grading and drainage are failing a landscaping project may be just what you need. Most large landscaping projects do take both grading and drainage into consideration. While these projects can be very costly, saving your homes foundation and interior to potential damage is surely more efficient then waiting until something does go wrong.
When you are buying a new house a drainage problem may not be obvious to the untrained eye because chances are that you haven’t been looking for them, or it simply hasn’t rained during that time.
If drainage problems are causing you a headache, Allen Outdoor Solutions can help alleviate wet areas in your lawn or basement and redirect damaging runoff from downspouts or your neighbor’s property. We are experts in installing French drains below surface for wet area relief and solid drains for gutter and sump pump discharge.
