Does Bad Landscaping Keep Your Basement Wet?

While there are many factors that can contribute to a leaky basement, one of the most overlooked is landscaping.

When professional basement water proofers look at your home, landscaping is often top of mind. If the landscape around your home is not properly graded, meaning it does not slope away from the foundation, water can accumulate near the basement walls.

When it rains or when snow melts, this excess water can seep into the ground and make its way into the basement, leading to water damage.

By considering grading and landscaping, it’s possible to significantly reduce the amount of water that’s able to get near your basement in the first place. By doing this, other waterproofing efforts aren’t strained by trying to deal with more water than they need to. A simple evaluation of your home and the surrounding properties will give your water proofer a good idea of what needs to be changed, but here are a few of the more common fixes.

Inadequate or Missing Landscape Features

Landscaping elements like retaining walls, berms, or even properly placed plants and shrubs can help divert water away from your home’s foundation. If these features are absent or poorly designed, water may flow toward the basement instead of being directed away, increasing the chances of water infiltration.

Unfortunately, even if your basement is not leaking now, water directed by bad landscaping and poor drainage can, over years and decades, help damage your foundation. Water always finds a way. One of the best ways to deal with it is to direct it down a path chosen by professionals to keep your basement dry.

At D-Bug Waterproofing, we do more than repair foundation walls and install sump pumps. We are experts at excavation and regrading, as well as stormwater management.

Read our page on Excavation and Grading to learn more.

Call us today at (724) 838-5359 and to get a free quote.

French Drains – Installation and Inspection

If you have had basement waterproofing done in the past, you may have had an exterior French drain installed around your foundation to direct water away from the basement. Over time, things like sediment build up, root intrusion, and lack of maintenance may have rendered the French drain ineffective.

At D-Bug Waterproofing, we are experts in both exterior and interior French drain installation and maintenance. Learn more by visiting out pages on Exterior French Drains and Interior French Drains.

Update or Build Retaining Walls

Retaining walls serve multiple purposes, including stabilizing slopes, managing soil erosion, and directing water flow. When designed and constructed properly, they can be effective in channeling water away from the foundation and preventing water infiltration into the basement.

Retaining walls can be built to create a gentle slope away from the foundation. By grading the land properly and constructing the retaining wall at the right angle, water will be directed away from the foundation rather than pooling near it.

Ready to Waterproof Your Basement? We Can Help

Do you think your bad landscaping is helping to keep your basement wet? If you’re ready to waterproof your basement, call D-Bug Waterproofing at 855-381-1528 or contact us today.