Never underestimate the importance of flood protection.
Left unchecked, any water that enters a property can do untold damage. Just one inch of the stuff can lead to more than $26,000 of necessary repairs!
Scary statistic, right? It’s enough to make anybody in a flood-prone area take steps to mitigate the risk. (mydelta8store.com)
Looking to protect your property from flooding? Let us help.
Keep reading for 5 top tips on creating a flood proof house.
1. Understand Your Chances
First thing’s first:
You need to know how likely you are to experience a flood.
Imagine investing thousands of dollars in flood protection when there’s no chance of one happening? It wouldn’t make sense.
Likewise, somebody in an area that’s particularly susceptible must act fast if they haven’t already put preventative measures in place.
FEMA flood maps are a good place to start. They’ll let you know the risks involved near you. From there, you can set about taking action.
2. Check (and Fix) Your Foundations
Living in a flood-prone area?
Go outside and take a look at your home’s foundations. It’s time to repair any cracks that have emerged over the years.
From the largest of holes to the tiniest of cracks, water will seep into anything it possibly can. Any such problem with your foundations means flood water will soon enter the property.
Thankfully, applying fresh mortar or masonry caulk should help plug the gaps.
3. Build Yourself a Defense
Properties next to water are, of course, at the greatest risk of flooding.
With enough rain, the water levels of rivers and lakes can rise to dangerous levels. When floodwater enters your neighborhood, having a physical barricade is crucial.
Water-impermeable walls, fences and other such defenses are well-worth the investment. Pro contractors, such as Seawall Construction, can help install the best solution for your home.
4. Grade Your Garden
No, we don’t mean give it a score out of 10 for attractiveness!
We’re talking about angling your yard in a flood-protective manner. Imagine if the lawn slopes from down to up from the bottom of your property.
Any water that comes is going to pool around the house.
Grade it the other way, though, and it’ll run off into the environment. Take a look at the slope of your yard and set about altering its angle (with heavy soil or clay) if there’s an issue.
5. Buy a Sump Pump
Okay, let’s skip forward to a worst-case scenario.
Imagine that your flood defenses have failed and water has entered your basement. What do you do? Having a sump pump to hand would mean you could start pumping it out straight away.
The alternative would be to wait for it to drain naturally. That, as you might expect, can take a long time. The longer it’s there, the more damage it will cause.
Get yourself a sump pump to avoid that eventuality.
Create a Flood Proof House
Water and property rarely mix well!
In certain areas, taking steps to create a flood proof house is of utmost importance.
Hopefully, this post will help you do exactly that. For more articles like this, search ‘floods’ on the website now.
