What's wrong in this Lexington, KY Home Inspections Picture?
This series of blog posts focuses on educating my clients, Active Rain & Localism readers along with my Facebook friends (see the Facebook Business Page Badge at the bottom of the post. ALL Facebook Likes are appreciated. )
The picture at the bottom of this blog post was taken during one of my recent Lexington, Kentucky home inspections.
They're called a bunch of different things by different people. I, and most of the industry, call them Splash Blocks. Their purpose is to take all that roof water from the downspout and force it away from the house foundation. Face it, that water can hurt your foundation in just a few years. During a recent Georgetown Kentucky Home Inspection, on a three year old house, I found foundation cracks that cost, according to the buyer's agent, about $4,500.00 to fix. Cause: Downspout dumping water next to the foundation for only THREE years. No elbow on the downspout. No splash block under the downspout. Water into the ground at the corner of the foundation.
Aren't the turtles pretty?
They can carry a LOT of water. Pick up your umbrella during a heavy rain and go see just exactly how much water is coming out of just one downspout. Notice how the water comes down, hits the splash block and runs off, away from the foundation, through the open end of the block. That's how it's SUPPOSED to work!
WHY the heck do builders insist on installing them backwards and never informing the homeowner of the need to turn them around (or does the homeowner just forget).
I can answer the first question. Builders install them backwards to keep the rain water from eroding the newly planted grass seed.
Why they don't tell you of the need to turn them around and make sure the water from the downspout falls on them, once the grass is grown, well, I have no idea.
Check yours. Are they installed right with the open end facing AWAY from the home?
Got underground pipes instead? When was the last time you checked to make sure they weren't blocked? If you have underground pipes, I hope they're not perforated. Perforated pipes let the water out as quick as they can, usually right next to your foundation. Underground pipes should be solid for at least ten feet away from the foundation.
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