It's All About Water Control!

Let's start with the basics

I always tell my clients water is the evil thing in housing. If you don't control the water it will do bad things to your home. So how do you control the water...read on.

Keep your roof in good shape

If your roof leaks for a long period of time, problems are going to develop. Rot, deterioration, molds, mildews, animals, insects, are just a few things that are going to negatively impact your home. If you see shingles missing, curling, granular wear, etc. its' time to call a roofer. In addition, make sure walls, chimneys, vents, or anything exiting through the roof is flashed properly.

Gutters and downspouts are water control devices.

If your gutters and downspouts do not work correctly you could be dumping water around the foundation which can negatively impact your foundation.

Making sure gutters are cleaned out and downspouts are extended/connected (if dispensing onto the lawn) should be on the top of your annual list. The gutters and downspouts are devices designed to carry the water from your house and either, put it down the drain or out onto the lawn away from the home. If the gutters overflow from being clogged, and/or downspouts are not extended, you'll have a pretty good chance that the foundation walls will be pushed inward requiring a expensive repair in the future. These foundation repairs are not cheap, usually costing thousands of dollars.

Ground surface control is everything

Your first line of defense for your home is the pitch of the ground and concrete around your home. If you have low, or areas where the ground is pitched toward your foundation, water it is going to try to get into the basement and will probably succeed. You have to envision that the basement is a big hole in the ground, and if you send water toward that big hole, its' going to get in. Let's make sure you are sending all the water away from the foundation and downhill wherever that may be.