How to Prepare Your Home for Excess Storm Water

Whether it’s due to a meltdown after the long, bitter months of winter or a storm has hit during any other season, excess storm water is a concern in Ann Arbor MI. If you don’t manage the problem, it will soon be out of control. Water damage can have a negative impact on your plumbing, your foundation, and your home. Storm water management is key in order to protect your residence. Learn how to prepare your home for excess storm water, getting the best of the situation before it gets the best of you.

Prevention is the Best Medicine
As with your health, you can be proactive when it comes to storm water management in Ann Arbor MI. You can take steps on your own that will prepare your home in the event that excess storm water heads your way. Plan ahead and you’ll be prepared for anything, rather than find yourself wading up to your shins in a wet basement.

Pay Attention to Your Landscaping
All too often, homeowners pull up trees and shrubbery without a second thought. When you keep extra growth in place on your property, you’ll benefit in the following ways:

• You’ll keep the water table at a lower level and avoid saturation of the soil
• Slow the runoff of storm water
• Keep your soil anchored in place

Plant flowers, shrubs, and hedges close to your home. They’ll help to absorb excess water after an intense storm.

Grade Your Property
If at all possible, tap into the potential of grading. You can change the pitch of your driveway, especially if it is paved, in order to ensure that water runs off into the road, drainage areas, or heavily planted areas that can benefit from excess storm water. Look at the foundation of your home. You should grade your land so that the soil is at a slant that carries storm water in the opposite direction of your home. You don’t want your foundation to be eroded by the power of water and nature. You also want to avoid the possibility of flooding in your basement.

Create Drainage Ditches
As you study the lay of the land, you’ll be able to identify the direction that water is likely to travel. For example, if you live on top of a hill, you can expect storm water to run away from your home without any efforts on your part. If you are on level land, you have a greater challenge, but you can do something to reroute storm water in such a way that it won’t threaten your home. One simple solution is to dig a drainage ditch. You can turn it into a work of landscaping art by adding large rocks in the ditch or along the edge. Plant vegetation in an attractive way to provide cover for the ditch, make it more appealing, and provide more opportunities to absorb the water. For more suggestions, turn to a reputable landscaping company to help you to effectively handle storm water.