Is Your Home Ready for Heavy Rain?

With the rainy season quickly approaching, it’s time to think about home preparedness. While rain may be great for your flowers, it’s not good for your foundation. Heavy rains could cause damage to your home if you aren’t prepared, leading to detrimental effects.

Why Should I Be Concerned?

Houses are designed to be allowed to settle slightly over time. This is normal. However, excess water reaching the foundation can create too much settling and shifting. If left untreated, this could lead to significant damage like cracks, uneven floors and even burst pipes.

There are a few things to consider when making sure your home is ready for the rainy season. Poorly-maintained gutters and perimeters are two of the biggest offenders. We recommend following the right steps early to prevent these issues from ruining your day and emptying your wallet.

Are My Gutters Doing Their Job?

Gutters protect your roof and foundation by leading water away from your house. Although this seems simple, they can underperform if they are blocked by leaves, showing signs of wear or not correctly installed. So, how do you know if yours are ready for rain?

Signs of Neglect

Rainspouts require maintenance more often than you may think. Leaves and debris can build up over time, eventually leading to blockage and overflow.

Poorly-constructed rainspouts are also easily damaged and could lead to leaking. Either of these issues can render these channels useless, as they won’t appropriately carry water away from your home.

Preventing Future Buildup

Once your gutters are in perfect working order, we recommend taking some preventative measures to maintain functionality. These steps will make your life easier the next time you need a maintenance check. They can also result in better performance throughout the year.

Trimming Nearby Trees

The biggest offender for poorly-performing rainspouts is overhanging trees. Inclement weather conditions can easily lead to your trees shedding more leaves than usual. Staying on top of trimming overhanging limbs will make preventative maintenance easier and protect your roof at the same time.

SAFETY TIP: Take caution when considering how to maintain trees on your property. An expert will be able to properly trim your trees so you don’t have to risk your safety.

Installing Leaf Guards

In addition to trimming trees, leaf guards are a great way to keep your rainspouts free from leaves and debris. These barriers will make maintenance easier since you’ll likely only have to search for signs of damage rather than spend hours cleaning out excess buildup.

Upgrading to Seamless Gutters

Standard gutters include multiple smaller sections that use jointed pieces to wrap around corners. Any of these connection points add another place for leaks to appear. Seamless gutters are custom-fit and reduce risk by not utilizing multiple sections. This option is also cost-effective and provides a cleaner look to your home’s exterior.

Is My Perimeter Clear?

The best way to prevent your foundation from shifting is to move water away from the perimeter, but rainspouts can only do so much diversion. You also need to consider what’s going on at the ground level.

Slope Maintenance

The height of the ground around your home compared to its height a few feet out is called the slope. The slope near your home significantly influences how much water the soil near your foundation absorbs.

You can easily check your slope by observing the perimeter for ponding. If you notice any standing water around your house, you can re-contour the slope until it appropriately directs water away.

Subsurface Drains

If you’re unable to maintain effective sloping around your home, it may be necessary to invest in subsurface drains. Once installed, these drains are easy to maintain and will significantly assist in reducing excess moisture.

Landscaping Drainage

Landscaping is essential to many homeowners. Well-maintained flowerbeds are a great way to make your home more beautiful, but you shouldn’t ignore proper drainage. You’ll likely want your foliage to have adequate hydration, but too much moisture in the soil can lead to flooding around and beneath the beds. If this is a concern, don’t worry! There are ways to fix it.

We recommend installing barriers with large openings to allow water to flow through. These openings will enable you to provide your garden with plenty of water while preventing buildup.

Get a Free Evaluation

If heavy rains have caused damage to your foundation, it’s time to call a professional. Foundation cracks, uneven floors or doors that don’t easily open and close are obvious signs that something may not be right. We offer no-pressure free evaluations to assess the situation and help you get your home back in shape.