Protecting your foundation from water damage is vital for maintaining its structural integrity and ensuring many years in your new, beautiful home. By following a few simple steps, you can maintain proper drainage and grading around your home: Installing sod or grass, creating an outlet for water, monitoring soil conditions, cleaning gutters and downspouts, and maintaining the slope away from your home. If in doubt, our Customer Care department is there to help with any questions or concerns!

Just before closing, your builder will do a final grade on your property to ensure that water will flow away from your foundation. The soils in Texas are considered “active”, which means they expand and contract with rain or drought. We’ve all seen the rivers that form from rainfall that cut through the exposed soils and wash them away. Luckily, there is a simple solution to this: installing sod or planting grass! The grass will help absorb any excess water into its roots, instead of allowing it to pool near your foundation. The roots from sod or grass also help to hold the soil in place, which prevents erosion and maintains proper grading. 

It’s essential to create an outlet for water to escape, which can be achieved through downspouts, catch basins, or even a simple channel (trench, drainage ditch, French drain, etc.) that leads water away from your home. When the rain falls, the water needs a place to go. By providing an escape, you can divert water away from your foundation, avoiding potential damage to your home.

A good rule of thumb for installing gutters is to wait for the first rain and monitor where the water travels naturally. If you notice lots of pooling near your foundation, you should consider adding gutters to your home. Gutters and downspouts are helpful in managing water around your home, but they require regular maintenance to be effective. Leaves, twigs, and other debris can accumulate in the gutters, which clogs the flow of water. Downspouts can become clogged over time, causing water to build up and not drain properly. Regular cleaning of your gutters and downspouts will keep water flowing away from your home. Keep in mind that gutter downspouts should direct water at least 5 feet away from your foundation to prevent washing away the soil.

Positive slopes maintain proper drainage of water away from your home, which is essential for keeping your foundation dry. Interference from landscaping materials, trees, shrubs, and plants can potentially obstruct water flow and interfere with proper grading. Ensure that your lawns and gardens are not over-watered and that sprinklers are spraying away from your home. If you install a sprinkler system, regular maintenance will prevent any flooding or pooling of water. By maintaining positive slopes and preventing interference, you keep your home safe and dry.

Maintaining proper drainage and grading around your foundation will keep your home and property safe from water damage. By following these simple steps, you can prevent potential problems and avoid repairs.