Hello World! Welcome Friends! Floods are a major cause of loss and pain for property owners. But you don’t have to leave your home vulnerable. Do you cringe when you see a big, black thunderhead rolling through the afternoon sky? Many of us live in areas where sudden, torrential downpours can cause serious flooding. If you’re in this boat, you can benefit from choosing to protect your walls from flood damage. There are things you can do now to keep floodwaters out of your home. And save you money in the long run. Keep reading to learn about four solid ideas for a flood-proof house.
Insure
Your first step is to determine whether or not your home is susceptible to flooding. Visit the FEMA Flood Map Service Center to view a map of your area. If your home is on this map, it’s essential that you get some flood insurance coverage. You may never see a drop of water in your home. But having the coverage in place will make you feel better when the rain clouds start moving in. And even if you don’t live in a flood zone, you can still opt for flood coverage. Remember, most home insurance policies won’t cover floods caused by extreme weather. At the very least, you can opt for a lighter policy that covers your home’s contents against flooding.
Landscape
The way your home is landscaped makes a difference in whether or not water will pool around it. Consider a driveway and sidewalk system made from gravel instead of cement or pavement. This material is porous and allows water to flow through rather than pooling up. Make sure that your lawn grade slopes away from your home. If not, hire an excavator to clean out low areas and fill high areas to keep water running downhill. They can also dig channels leading away from your home to divert groundwater away during a storm. Build a flood-proof wall or berm around your home. This works like a mini-dam, keeping water away from your foundation.
Gutter
If your home doesn’t have gutters installed, it’s time to put them in. Gutters redirect rainwater that flows off of your roof. They are essential to keeping the area around your foundation from getting saturated. Make sure that your gutter spouts point away from the home and have plenty of clearance. Or consider adding a rain barrel to the end of the gutter to catch water. You can then release the water from the rain barrel at a later date when the ground isn’t saturated from rain. Or use the water to water your garden. It’s a win-win situation!
Elevate
If you’re building a new home, the best way to ensure flood-proofing is to elevate. As little as an inch of water can lead to plenty of costly flood damage, so raising your home even a little bit makes a big difference. Elevating a home that’s already been built is possible too, although it will cost you more money. But if you’re serious about flood control, it’s worth considering. Talk to a professional that’s experienced in designing elevated homes to find out your options.
If you can’t elevate your home, consider elevating the things inside. Boilers, A/C units, and other utilities are often located on the ground floor or basement. Consider building platforms to support them or moving them to a higher floor.
Create a Flood-Proof House and Get Peace of Mind
Taking these measures to ensure that you have a flood-proof house bring you the peace of mind you need. You’ll never have that feeling of dread during a rainstorm again!
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Toodles,
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