Spring Home Maintenance: Grading And Drainage

It’s officially spring, and that can mean lots of rain followed by a long, dry summer. Does your yard have proper grading and drainage to protect your home? If not, you could be set up for foundation damage.

Here are a few things to know:

Negative Drainage

Grading and drainage refer to the way your lot is engineered to deal with water runoff. If water from rains or your sprinkler system drains toward your home, you could end up with damage to your foundation, rust or corrosion, or flooding in your yard or at entry points like doors, windows, vents, or pipes.

Take a walk around the perimeter of your home and take note of high and low points to determine the direction of water flow. Any areas where the ground slopes toward the structure, or low points that allow water to pool — these are your problem areas.

Swales

If your lot is on an incline, you may need to create a drainage swale to help make a path for water. A swale will assist with irrigation and help prevent erosion.

If you’re a DIY-er, you can purchase bags of dirt to adjust the slope of your yard. Here’s a useful guide if you want to try it. Or you can hire a landscaper if the issue is more challenging. A foundation repair professional or a home inspector can let you know if your home has any existing damage.

A Cycle of Damage

In this video, the inspector is walking a property that was built below street level with negative drainage, and lots of shade, keeping the ground around the foundation moist most of the time. There is evidence of previous work and current damage. A cycle that will continue until someone corrects the grading and drainage problem.

It Starts at The Top

Your rain gutters and downspouts are an important part of your drainage system as well. Make sure your gutters are free of leaves and other debris and your downspouts are pointed away from the foundation.

This is a rare example of a correctly installed gutter-to-gutter downspout connection. Take note, as we almost never see them at all. The better your system for directing water away from your house this spring, the better protected it will be.