Keep Your Basement Dry by Moving Water Away from Your Foundation

Besides rain gutters, one of the best ways to keep water away from your house would be to properly landscaping around the perimeter of your house. Here are a couple of ideas to help keep water away from the house and your basement dryer during the rainiest months.

Grading the land around your house

First thing you will want to do is determine if there are any low spots in the ground around the house where water can pool or even drain toward your house. There should be a gradual slope away from your house. A good rule of thumb would be to have a ½ inch or greater per foot. You should pay close attention to the most common direction you get rain from. Here in Minnesota, the most common direction is north and west so on those areas I have a much greater slope away from my house.

Lengthen your downspouts

The farther away from your house you can move the water that runs off from your rain gutters the better. You can install a longer downspout, but that can get in your way. You can get a retractable tube that unrolls with the pressure of the water then rolls up when there isn't any more water flowing. You can also run the downspout into a buried corrugated tube if you want a more permanent solution. Just be sure to bury the tube a few inches below the surface of the ground or you may end up damaging it by walking on it. Check out Home Depot, Lowes, Menards or your local hardware store to see what they may sell to help move water away.

Select landscape ideas that move water away from your foundation

Be mindful of the landscaping that you put directly next to your house. Many people like to plant ferns or other plants that like shade next to their foundation as ground cover. This can increase the amount of moisture next to your foundation. You are better off putting a layer of plastic down with decorative stones on it next to the house. Then 2-3 feet away from the house you can plant foliage. Bushes can also be a problem if you plant them too close since the roots can potentially damage your foundation causing areas for water to seep in.

If you have egress windows, be sure to cover them with a plastic cover to help keep rain from pooling in the window well.

If you still have water seeping into your basement, try a de-humidifier. I set mine near a drain so I don't have to empty the bucket. Sealing paints work best if applied to unpainted brick. If you are still having issues, you will probably want to check the look for a waterproofing company.

In most cases, you will have to do multiple things to help keep water away from your house and out of your basement. If you don't have rain gutters check out my article on How to Install Rain Gutters.