CHECK OUT THESE 3 COST EFFECTIVE WAYS YOU CAN ELIMINATE OR DRASTICALLY REDUCE THE CHANCES OF YOUR HOME BEING DAMAGED BY WATER

1 – Eavestroughs and Down Spouts

During a rainstorm, for every inch it rains, a roof with an area of 1,000 square feet will receive about 600 gallons worth of water. If your gutter system is inadequate, or you only have one down spout attached to a roof of this size, then all 600 gallons are either collecting around the base of your home or pooling into one area.

If your home has no eavestroughs, over time, all of that water will wear away at the grass and soil between your home and its basement. While no house can be 100 percent waterproof, extra amounts of water will force its way into your home overtime.

Additionally, down spouts are important for dispersing water away from a home. For homes, it’s recommended that there is at least one down spout for every 600 to 800 square feet of roof area.

It’s also recommended that each of those down spouts — when possible — carry the water at least four to six feet away from the home to help it spread into the soil.

Repairing old eavestroughs and/or adding extensions to down spouts usually cost under $100.

2 – Sloping Yards

Just because there’s 2000 liters of water hitting every 1,000 square feet of roof doesn’t mean that’s the only water collecting in your yard. Roughly the same amount of water is also hitting your yard.

Along with a good drainage system, having a yard that slopes away from the home will encourage the water to seep and spread throughout the soil, rather than saturate the areas around your home.

For the best natural yard drainage, the soil around your home should slope a total of six inches within the first four feet of your house — or 1.5 inches every foot. Too steep of a slope will quicken the erosion, and too shallow of a slope will slow the water drainage.

To increase the slope of your yard, use fill dirt, which is thicker and heavier than top soil. Apply it and pack it down until it’s solid. If you don’t do this, or if you use top soil, all of your efforts could be erased with the next heavy rainfall. Lay a few inches of topsoil over the fill and place finish material over it, whether it it is sod, stone, mulch etc.

Depending on the soil you buy and the tools you already have at home, this project shouldn’t cost more than $100 to do, either.

3 – Seal Around Windows and Fill Gaps and Cracks

There’s a reason you caulk tiles in your bathroom and kitchen — to keep water from seeping through and causing damage. Even if your home has good gutters, down spouts, and yard sloping, heavier rains will still produce water pooling, and some of that water will find its way through windows, missing mortar or any other place around the base of your home .

The pressure from the water and the leaking over time will increase these gaps and worsen, especially in winter 

Usually, your local hardware store offers sealants you can use for under $20. Of course, it’s always a good idea to have your basement inspected by an actual professional just in case there’s more damage than meets the eye, it could save you from costly repairs .