As spring arrives and you start planning your summer backyard, it’s time to think about flower beds, plants, and trees… but there’s more to landscaping than just improving the value of your home!
Proper landscaping will help prevent flood water from creeping into your basement and below ground rooms during the springtime when things are beginning to warm up and melt quickly. Increased rainfall adds to the increase in water levels, and taking precautions through your landscaping is one method of protecting your home against flood waters.
Here are a few tips to keep your home free of spring floods.
- Grade your yard. During your landscaping plan, make sure that your ground is sloping away from your home, especially around your perimeter. Understanding the high and low points of your home come in extremely handy during this process! Add and remove extra dirt to create appropriate slopes, and if necessary work with a professional landscaping company.
- Add mulch. Mulch is not only good for your plants, but it will keep the soil in place AND keep rainwater where it should be – in the ground! The only important thing is to make sure that the mulch layer is at least six inches from your siding to avoid any trapped moisture from rotting your home’s exterior.
- Choose the right plants. Plants that are native to your region will help prevent soil erosion, and allow storm water to drain much more efficiently.
- Create a rain garden. Rain gardens are actually areas planted in shallow depressions in the yard that collect run off rainwater from gutters as downspouts. They will also collect stormwater, and keep it away from your home!
- Install rain barrels. Rain barrels are placed at the bottom of downspouts and collect the runoff water. Once the barrel is full, it can be used to water your plants and grass – making it a great eco-friendly option in addition to keeping your basement dry!
Don’t Forget to Check Your Landscaping Each Season
Once you have utilized all of these points, upkeep is important. At the start of each season, double check each of the above points to make sure that your landscaping is still as efficient as possible to keep away flood water from your basement!
You want to keep your home free of any unnecessary damage, but should water find its way into your basement, call the water damage restoration experts at McMahon Services to assist with all your need.