Water damage costs homes a substantial $20 billion each year. The price for basement flooding alone averages $60,000 in repair and replacement costs.
Is your home struggling with water runoff and drainage problems? This article goes over why redirecting water is important, plus strategies to keep unwanted water from invading your home.
Why Proper Water Runoff is Essential
Improper water runoff allows water to pool around your lawn and home. This creates many risks for homeowners, especially when the added water pressure builds up around the foundation.
Lawn and Landscaping Damage
If you put time, money, and effort into your landscaping, water runoff can negate all your hard work in just one rainstorm. Negative effects include:
- Wash away topsoil and mulch
- Overwater plants, shrubs, and trees
- Create puddles and sinkholes
Lawn care and landscaping projects also contribute 3%-15% of property values. Drainage problems can significantly impact your home’s worth.
Home Damage
Water runoff can also cause short-term and long-term damage to your house itself. These include:
- Stains and discoloration
- Mold and mildew
- Foundation cracking and crumbling
- Structural integrity loss
If improper drainage isn’t fixed, you may pay for exterior cleaning and foundation repair only for the problems to return. If water runoff lingers too long around a foundation, it can lead to costly damage and even structural failure.
Environmental Damage
Stormwater runoff from homes can redistribute pesticides, fertilizers, and other toxins into nearby rivers and lakes. It also washes away valuable topsoil and natural fertilizers.
How to Redirect Water Away From Your Home
You can fix water runoff issues by redirecting water back to where it can be safely absorbed or collected. This can be accomplished using:
- Gutters
- Downspouts
- Grading
- French Drains
Your roof produces hundreds of gallons per rain storm. Gutters and downspouts collect and carry this water away from your house. Keeping your gutter system clean ensures this water redirection system doesn’t get clogged.
Grading refers to using ground-level inclines to redirect water away from your home. This can be a simple DIY project, or require professional grading services depending on your yard and home.
French drains are shallow trenches used to strategically redirect groundwater to other areas. The trench is filled with pipes for water redirection and covered with rocks so you don’t have unsightly bare pipes in your yard.
Flood Prevention
Improper water runoff can also contribute to flooding problems. If you live in flood-prone areas, proper drainage systems and water redirection are critical to preventing costly water damage. These include:
- Waterproofing sealants
- Trenches
- Dry wells
- Flood vents
- Flood barriers
- Sump pumps
Like drainage, most homes shouldn’t rely on one flood prevention technique alone. You may also need professional services for the maintenance and upkeep of your drainage and flood prevention systems.
Keep Your Home Bright, Clean, and Water-Damage Free!
Water runoff can cause unsightly and costly damage to your home. Maintaining proper drainage systems that redirect water will save you from future water damage headaches.