Planning on building a home soon or currently building one?

Let’s talk about water damage prevention.

This is often a less exciting topic than picking out your appliances, finishes, or new furniture but probably more important.

Because after all, if you plan on spending that much money on a new home then you’ll need to protect your investment against the costliest damage it can sustain- your foundation.

And you know what they say: If you fail to prepare then prepare to fail.

So here are some important things you should know about preparing your new home against water damage:

Grading Your Yard

Before framing but after the foundation is poured, it’s important that your builder properly packs the dirt back against the wall and grades the yard properly.

Most new homes now will have slight slopes built up towards the house so that there is an obvious “valley” between neighboring homes where water can flow. An experienced grading contractor should be knowledgeable about how to set the dirt so that flows away from your foundation.

Planning Your Landscaping

Some homeowners choose to also start landscaping as the home is being built. The great thing about doing it now is that you’re already ahead of most people in planning.

It’s important to pick a landscaper that not only knows about horticulture design, but also proper drainage. Your landscaper can help plan where to set landscape beds, bury your downspouts (before concrete is poured) and ways to angle and set your sprinkler systems.

Additionally, it’s extremely important to plan which trees and how closely they’ll be planted to your house. In Nebraska, we have all four seasons which results in some pretty cold winters and if you have enough tree cover (when they mature) then you’ll potentially have to contend with Ice Dams. In other words, the tree shade may prevent the sun from doing a service to your roof by melting the forming ice.

Setting Your Gutters

Once the majority of your house is built and they call in the roofing contractors, its important that they know how to set your gutters. We’ve talked previously about pitching your gutters correctly so it slopes towards the downspouts.

Additionally, over time you’ll need to do regular maintenance checks to ensure the spouts aren’t clogged.

Lastly, as mentioned above, you’ll want to check that the water coming from your roof flows away from your home and doesn’t pool in certain spots. If it does, it may be something that a landscaper or roofing contractor can address- depending on the problem.

Summary

The very last thing you want for your brand new home is to experience water damage after moving in. This is why it’s important to start considering the drainage as the home is being built so you can prevent future water problems.