We’ve had record moisture this month in Boulder (46.2 inches). I thought it would be a good time to talk about keeping moisture away from your house. When the foundation of your house was dug out and the foundation was placed, dirt was poured back to fill the space between the basement wall and the virgin, untouched soil. This backfilled soil is looser than the soil around it. Because it’s loose, the area immediately around your home is more porous than the surrounding area and collects much more water.
To protect the foundation, every homeowner should make sure to keep as much moisture away from the house as possible. How do you do that? Here are some suggestions for the best ways to protect your foundation from water damage.
1) Grading around the house – You want to make sure the grade around the house slopes out (not flat or negative towards the house). The proper finished grade for the area around the house is between ½ inch and 1 inch per foot, extending away from the home for at least 6 feet, and preferably ten. Poor slope can cause run-off water to pool at foundation and concrete flatwork. This can lead to moisture penetration through walls and possible damage to concrete walls, patios and related structures.
2) Gutters – Most houses have gutters installed, but that is not enough for adequate foundation drainage. A typical gutter and downspout combination will lead water directly from the roof to the area right beside the foundation. There are two ways to move water away from the foundation with this arrangement. Either use an extension at the base of the downspout, approximately 10 feet long, that will carry the water away from the foundation, and downhill, so that it does not drain back to the foundation, or install a catch basin. A catch basin is a concrete basin buried at the point where the downspout ends. Fill the basin with crushed stone, and attach an underground drainpipe that comes out from the side of the basin. That pipe runs to an above ground drainage ditch or empties into a drywell.
3) Plant deep-rooted trees and shrubs away from the house. If the branches touch the house, the tree is too close.
Read more at Houselogic’s web site
Even though Colorado is a drier climate, we need to take care that our house is not prone to foundation issues.