3 Tips to Avoid Structural Damage From Water

Structural damage to your home can have devastating and costly effects. Luckily, you can avoid damage caused by water with a few simple prevention measures.

1.       Ensure good drainage

Clean your gutters each year. When gutters are full of plant debris like leaves and moss, water can’t travel down the spout and away from the house. Even areas that don’t experience a lot of rain can have problems. One inch of rain produces around 600 gallons of water from a roof measuring only 1,000 square feet.

•   Add extenders to your drain spouts so water is moved at least 10 feet away from the house.

•   If you have any areas near the foundation where water pools after it rains, install a simple French drain to move water to another area of the yard.

2.       Fix any water leaks

Inspect the roof each year for missing or damaged shingles. If you find any, replace immediately. Even if you don’t have any problems with your roof, look at your ceiling for any dark spots which indicate a leak. Lastly, check for dripping pipes under sinks, near laundry areas, and around all outdoor faucets.

3.       Make sure your soil slopes away from the house.

Soil that is flat or slopes toward the house encourages water to drain around the foundation. Coupled with poor soil drainage and you have all the ingredients for a problem. Re-grade your soil if necessary, sloping it away from the house for at least five feet.

Once water has damaged the foundation, many more problems can arise.

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