How To Prepare Your Home To Resist Flooding'

 

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Living in an area that experiences a lot of floods throughout the year can be unnerving. Keeping your home protected during a flood is imperative. There are plenty of ways you can prepare your home to resist flooding. The first step is to determine the risk of your home actually flooding. Even though you may be living in an area that gets a lot of floods, your particular location may not. Doing this will also lead you down the path of finding out if your home can withstand a flood. Once you have done that simple task, the rest is easy. Here are some ways to make your home almost flood-proof.

Raise Your Home

You heard correctly. Raise your home. By raise, we mean put it on stilts or piers. By partnering with a company well-versed in Concrete pumping for piers and "lifting" your home, will automatically raise your home's flood level, seriously decreasing your chances of receiving any damage. The only downside to this option is that it is better to do as the house is being constructed. It can be really expensive to do once the house has already been built.

Install Foundation Vents

Foundation vents allow the water to go through your home instead of pooling around it. It is a great way out for floodwater and it also alleviates the pressure flood water can sometimes put on your walls and basement windows if you have any. You could also opt for sump pumps, which are used to pump water out of basements where flooding happens frequently. Doing this can alleviate the costs of flood restoration.

Seal Up Everything

You should apply coats and sealants to everything on the interior. There are tons of coatings and sealants to choose from. You can apply them to the foundation of your home as well as the walls, windows and doorways. This form of “dry flood-proofing” will help prevent floodwater from sneaking in through the cracks. This is definitely a recommended step if you are trying to protect your home from the outside elements.

Raise Electrical Outlets And Switches

Before the flood, it may be a good idea to raise the outlets, switches, sockets and circuit breakers to at least a foot above flood level. Doing this will stop significant electrical damage in the case of the flood

Implement Drainage Solutions

Drainage systems can be a great practical solution to prevent flooding in your property. Proper maintenance of a drainage system is important to ensure that they continue to work effectively. Many different types of drains can work, however, with a bit of research you may find yourself asking what is a french drain system? Is this the best option for preventing flooding of your home? Speaking to a professional contractor can provide you with the information and necessary experience that can guide you towards the right drain installation.

Keep space between your mulch and siding 

Stay away from wet mulch as it can rot your home’s siding, leading to leaks. Make sure that you keep space between your mulch and siding. This ensures that the foundation of your home can be completely dried even after a heavy rainstorm.

Grade Your Lawn Away From Your Home

If you have a lawn that tilts toward your house, you can be sure to see rainwater pooling around your home. To prevent this it is recommended that you use heavy soil that has clay and sand. This allows you to regrade your lawn to make sure that the surface runoff empties into a street gutter at the least or a better place that can house the water.