How Can Landscape Around Your Foundation Help With Drainage? | BARRIER Nashville

Poor drainage and uncontrolled water runoff are two of the greatest causes leading to water accumulating on your property. Pest infestations, wood rot, mold development, and severe damage to your home’s structure and driveways can all result from water collecting around your foundation. All of these issues can dramatically reduce your property’s value.

Thankfully, there are a few easy, low-cost techniques to divert water runoff away from your house and avoid these potential problems. Some of these options include, you guessed it, your landscaping! Read through the list of various pro tips below and you will find some good tips regarding the plants your home features outside and how they are more than just for looks.

Inspect Your Gutters and Downspouts

If gutters or downspouts are improperly pointed toward your foundation rather than away from it, they could be contributing to already poor drainage. Thankfully this issue is rather simple to resolve. One such solution could be to remedy an accumulation of debris, dust, leaves, and twigs that might be blocking your gutters, causing the rainfall to overflow.

To fix this problem, direct your downspouts toward the drainage channels while ensuring the channels lead far away from your foundation and any other paved surfaces surrounding your property to avoid rainfall gathering near your foundation. You may want to think about lengthening any short downspouts if you notice rainwater gathering close to your property when it rains.

Avoid Hiding your Foundation

It’s not a good idea to hide the foundation of your house. This is because soil moisture and air flow are restricted when it is covered. Therefore, be sure to leave a few inches of your foundation exposed as you plan your garden this year. In order to prevent water from collecting near the wall or other spaces, allow room between your foundation wall and the foliage for air to circulate through with ease.

Improve Your Gutter System

It is possible for your slope to become eroded by gutter runoff swiftly. To make matters worse, water will continue to pool near your foundation if it has deteriorated, ultimately causing even more damage. 

Install gutter extensions if your gutters are not directing water several feet away from your foundation. Installing downspouts to direct the water even farther away is another option. It is important your gutter system is set up correctly to do the job it was intended to do.

Achieve Positive Landscape Drainage

Grading the landscape to direct rainwater away from your home’s foundation is how you can achieve positive drainage. Good drainage can still be implemented in regions where a sufficient slope cannot be built, using exterior French drains can also efficiently collect the runoff.

Make sure that any trees, bushes, or buildings on your land don’t hinder the drainage systems from getting the greatest results. Because they are so important for establishing effective landscape drainage, sidewalks, driveways, porch slabs, and patio slabs should be built with enough of a slope to divert rainwater from your house.

Don’t Plant Shrubs and Trees Close to Your Home

Although you can reduce water runoff on your property by planting certain shrubs and trees, putting them too close to your house will hinder the rainfall from properly draining away from your foundation. That’s because plants and trees often hold onto water.

A number of problems, including impairing damage to your home’s foundation, siding, plumbing, roof, and any neighboring structures could result from an excessive amount of moisture that collects around your foundation. Certain trees and shrubs have aggressive root systems that can cause further moisture intrusion problems. Storing dirt, gravel, mulch, or other water-absorbing items adjacent to your house may cause issues with the foundation and basement.

Mulch your Flower Beds

Mulching might aid in preserving a more ideal level of moisture around your foundation. It also provides advantages besides defending your foundation, like improving the quality of the soil. 

While mulch can aid in directing extra water away from your home, avoid adding edging to the mulch-filled flower bed. This is important because water can be stopped by edging, preventing it from running off, resulting in standing water.

What Step Should I Take Next?

Whether you have already started shopping for the right landscaping materials, or are only just beginning your path to determining if youre home is being affected by moisture intrusion, BARRIER Waterproofing Systems can help. Give us a call today at (615) 257-1060  |  (931) 536-1168 and schedule a free evaluation of your home’s condition. Our experienced team will be able to assist you with any questions you may have.