Modern homes are pretty efficient at keeping the rain out and are usually made from weatherproof materials that can survive years of showers. However, decades of rainfall and other extreme weather will eventually wear down the strongest of buildings. This is when rain damage can become a real threat – leaks and poor drainage systems can lead to all kinds of issues from sagging ceilings to subsidence. Fortunately, there are preventive measures that you can take to protect your home from this rain damage. Below are a few examples of ways to defend your home from the rain.
Regularly inspect your roof
A roof’s most fundamental purpose is to keep your home dry. Most roofs are pretty good at this – up until a point. Heavy showers, hailstorms, strong winds, frost and even heat from the sun can all contribute to loose tiles and cracks over time. This can lead to rainwater leaking in, which can cause all kinds of damage to the inside of your home.
Periodically getting your roof inspected can help you to spot damage early and make repairs before rain starts leaking in. It’s recommended that you get your roof inspected every couple years either in Spring or Fall.
Old roofs can be particularly worth getting inspected as they are most prone to damage. The average lifespan of a roof can depend on the material: asphalt roofs usually last 15 to 30 years, timber roofs last 20 to 40 years and metal roofs last 40 to 70 years. If your roof is nearing the end of this lifespan, it’s worth scheduling an inspection – regular inspections and repairs will extend the lifespan of your roof.
Clean and maintain your gutters
Gutters catch rainwater running off your roof and then direct it into a drain via a downspout. Without gutters, rainwater would pool around the base of your home and weaken your home’s foundations, causing your home to sink and collapse.
It’s therefore very important to have gutters and to maintain them to ensure that they are working properly. One of the most essential maintenance tasks is occasionally cleaning out your gutters – leaves and other debris can collect in them over time, leading to blockages that can cause water to spill out over the sides. You also need to inspect your gutters for damage like cracks.
If you have a ladder and you have some free time, it may be possible to clean and inspect your gutters yourself. However, most people find it safer and more convenient to hire professionals. This is particularly important if your gutters are damaged – look for a company that can repair and replace gutters near you rather than attempting to fix them yourself.
Seal gaps around windows and doors
Unsealed gaps around windows and doors can let in rainwater and cause damage to your interior. You’ll usually notice this because water will be trickling down from your windowsill or pooling under your door.
Most modern windows and doors will have seals fitted, but these can wear over time. Older windows and doors may not have been fitted with seals, or gaps may have developed over time as a result of the building moving.
To fill the gap, you can either use weatherstrips, caulk or spray foam. Weatherstrips are a great way to seal gaps next to moving parts, such as the gap between a door and a frame or the gap between a window and the frame. For cracks on the outside of frames or cracks around a picture window (a window that is not supposed to open), fill the gap with caulk or spray foam.
Divert water away from your home
It’s vital that any rainwater that collects on your driveway or yard doesn’t flow towards your home. You need to be particularly careful of overflowing water from pools, ponds, rivers or lakes during a heavy shower – if this isn’t directed away from your home it can cause significant flooding and foundation damage.
Fortunately, most properties are already designed in a way to divert water away. However, you’ll occasionally find old homes that weren’t designed this way. In this case, you should consider investing in landscaping features that help divert water away. A few examples include:
- Grading: Grading involves creating gradual slopes in order to cause rainwater to flow in a certain way. It is common to build driveways and patios so that they gradually slope away from a property in order to encourage rainwater to flow away from the foundations.
- French drains: French drains are trenches containing a pipe that are covered with gravel. They are an excellent way of diverting rainwater away from a property – water seeps through the gravel, collects in the pipe and is directed away.
- Swales: Swales are channels with gradual sloping sides that are filled with grass or vegetation. Like French drains, water collects in these channels and is directed away. They are often placed down the edge of a lawn or a plant bed.
Exploring these water diversion methods is recommended if you’ve already experienced flooding or have noticed puddles around the base of your home. Landscaping companies that specialize in drainage can help you design a system to effectively divert water away from your property without causing any other issues in the process (such as accidentally diverting all the water in a neighbors backyard!).
Protect your basement from rainwater
Basements are notoriously prone to flooding when it rains heavily. If your home has a basement and you’ve already experienced basement flooding, it could be time to look into some basement protection methods.
One option is to simply allow water to pour into your basement, but to install a basement sump pump. This involves installing a pit in your basement for water to collect in and then manually or automatically pumping it out using a pipe connecting to a drain.
If you’d prefer to keep water out of your basement altogether, you can invest in exterior waterproofing. This involves installing a waterproof membrane around the base of your home. You can also waterproof your basement from the interior by filling any cracks with hydraulic cement and then painting the wall and floor with a waterproof paint.
Got windows or exterior doors leading into your basement? These will also need to be effectively waterproofed to prevent rainwater seeping in. Awning windows (windows that swing open from the top) are generally a better idea than hopper windows (windows that swing open from the bottom). Regularly inspect the seal around the windows and consider lockable windows (these will improve watertightness and security).
