Avoid a Leaking Basement This Fall With Proper Landscaping

Fall rain and winter weather can pose a serious risk to basements, foundations and below-ground rooms. Altering your exterior landscape and taking steps to ensure standing water, runoff and excess moisture is less likely to find its way into your home is an issue that no Ann Arbor MI property owner can afford to overlook. Even relatively minor issues that may cause basement leaking can create problems that require extensive cleanup efforts and costly repairs in order to address.

Landscaping Solutions

From soil that is unable to effectively avoid moisture to an exterior design or layout that may be interfering with proper drainage or keeping excess runoff from being channeled away from your home’s foundation, lawns that have been properly laid out and that possess the right features can be just as important as roof gutters and downspouts when it comes to keeping moisture out of the home and keeping your basement from leaking.

• Pitch and Grade

Ensuring soil is sloped away from your home can eliminate many of the problems caused by standing water or ineffective runoff. Soil that may be too tightly packed to absorb moisture as well as top-soil that may be too susceptible to erosion can lead to many problems. Reshaping the topography of your landscaping, selecting the right soil and even planting grasses and plants whose root-structure may provide a better anchor for your landscaping can all make a big difference.

• Ensuring Effective Drainage

French drains, artificial creek beds and even a simple trench can significantly improve drainage and ensure that standing water does not pose a greater risk to foundations and below-ground rooms. Pooling water or soil that retains moisture long after a rainstorm or shower may indicate the presence of a drainage problem, one that may pose an unacceptable risk to your home and property. By seeking out the best professional services Ann Arbor MI property owners can more easily and effectively address drainage issues that could lead to future problems.

• Creating a Gap Between Your Landscape and Foundation

The mulch needed to create flower beds, gardens or even to ensure bushes and other plants are able to grow and flourish could be creating a problem. A sufficient gap between mulched materials and your siding or foundation is needed to ensure that moisture is not being wicked away from your mulch bed in a way that may cause harm to construction materials. A proper gap can ensure that mulch beds do not contribute to basement leaks, rotting siding or other issues like a mold or mildew infestation.

Superior Services Provide Superior Results

Dealing with the wrong professional or attempting to alter your exterior landscape on your own could limit the effectiveness of your efforts. From simple improvements to the comprehensive assessment, design and alteration projects that may be needed in order to better protect your property from leaks, water damage and other season weather issues- it always pays to do business with the best.