Your Landscaping Does More Than Make Your Home Look Good
A well landscaped yard can make your home more inviting, but landscaping also plays an important role in how water moves around your property.
When rainwater is directed toward your home instead of away from it, the soil around your foundation can stay excessively wet. Over time, this moisture can contribute to drainage problems, crawl space moisture, foundation movement, and water intrusion.
The good news is that a few simple landscaping choices can help protect your home.
Make Sure the Ground Slopes Away From Your Home
One of the most important things to look at is the grade around your foundation.
Ideally, the ground should slope away from your home so rainwater naturally moves away from the foundation instead of collecting alongside it.
If you notice water pooling near your foundation after a rain, take a closer look at the surrounding soil. Low spots, settled areas, or changes in the grade can allow water to collect where you do not want it.
Be Careful Where You Plant
Plants, shrubs, and trees can all be part of a beautiful landscape, but placement matters.
Avoid placing plants so close to the house that they prevent you from seeing or accessing the foundation. You also want to be mindful of large trees near the home. Tree roots can interact with the soil around a foundation, while large trees can also require significant amounts of water from the surrounding soil.
When planning new landscaping, think about how the mature plant will affect the area around your home, not just how it looks when it is first planted.
Keep Mulch and Soil Below the Siding
Adding soil or mulch around your landscaping beds can change the elevation around your foundation.
Be careful not to build up soil or mulch against your siding or other parts of the home that should remain above grade. Keeping the foundation visible also makes it easier to spot cracks, moisture, or other changes during your regular home inspections.
A little extra attention when refreshing your flower beds can help prevent drainage problems later.
Pay Attention to Gutters and Downspouts
Even a properly graded yard can have problems if your gutters and downspouts are sending large amounts of water directly beside the foundation.
Make sure gutters are clear and that downspouts discharge water far enough away from the house to prevent it from collecting next to the foundation.
Downspout extensions can be a simple way to redirect roof water to a better location.
Watch for Water After Heavy Rain
Your yard can tell you a lot about how water is moving around your home.
After a significant rain, take a few minutes to walk around the property. Look for:
• Water pooling beside the foundation
• Erosion or washed out soil
• Areas where the ground stays noticeably wet
• Water flowing toward the house
• Downspouts releasing water directly beside the foundation
• New cracks or changes around the foundation
You do not need to become a foundation expert. Simply paying attention to changes around your home can help you catch potential drainage issues earlier.
Landscaping Cannot Solve Every Water Problem
Sometimes a drainage issue is more complicated than a change in grading or a downspout extension can address.
If water continues to enter your crawl space or basement despite your best efforts, there may be an underlying drainage or waterproofing issue that needs to be evaluated.
The goal is not simply to remove water after it gets inside. A proper evaluation can help determine where the water is coming from and what solution makes sense for your home.
Protect Your Foundation From the Ground Up
Your landscaping, gutters, downspouts, and foundation all work together as part of your home’s drainage system.
Keeping water moving away from your home is one of the simplest ways to help protect the foundation and reduce unnecessary moisture around your crawl space or basement.
And if you are noticing water where it should not be, cracks that concern you, or changes around your foundation, it is worth having the situation evaluated before guessing at the solution.
Need a Second Opinion?
At Dunwell Structural Repair, we offer free inspections to help homeowners understand what is happening beneath and around their homes. We will look at the foundation, crawl space, drainage conditions, and other factors that may be contributing to the problem and explain what we find.
Call Dunwell Structural Repair at 336.867.0298 or visit dunwellsr.com to schedule your free inspection.