Drainage Issues

Drainage isn't really a glamorous topic to write about, but still deserves attention because of how important it is.  Without a doubt, when the snow melts and the rains come we get calls from people who are in need of grading around their home because their basements are wet.  Proper grading around the home to improve drainage is not always going to solve basement water issues, but it's a good start - especially if it's obvious the pitch is toward the home instead of sloping away from the home.  In some cases the siding of a home is so close to the ground that you can't add soil around the foundation without covering some siding.  You don't want to do this though because if the siding is buried at all by soil, it will stay wet from moisture in the ground and can get moldy and then lead to even bigger problems.  In this situation, you'd have to excavate soil a few feet away from the home to create a slight swale for the water to drain away.  Also, if you have shallow window wells, then excavating to make a swale along the home instead of building up soil next to the home would be the best solution.  The picture below is a good candidate for a swale because those window wells are not very high.

Sometimes taller window wells need to be installed if you are building up soil next to the foundation.  I'll talk to people who have lived in a home for years and never had water problems until recently.  Most often it seems the ground just settles over time and becomes too low to allow for proper drainage.  It's probably a good idea to check the level of your soil around the foundation even if you don't get water in the basement.   Being proactive could prevent a potential disaster!

So that's the basics of foundation grading.  Be happy if you have a dry basement! :)