Posted by: Chris Laney on June 7, 2019

How to Use Landscaping to Prevent Flooding

Indiana sees its fair share of severe weather. During the summer months, heavy rain can cause flooding and water damage to homes around the Fort Wayne area. While we can't do anything to prevent the weather, there are different landscape techniques that homeowners can use to help prevent flooding in their basements.

Proper landscaping is not just for visual appeal. It helps keep water from seeping into your basement and causing major water damage, leading to other larger problems in years to come. Take a look at the following steps and see how you can change up your landscaping to help prevent summer flooding!

Landscaping Tips to Prevent Summer Flooding

1. Check out the grade of your yard. The ground around the perimeter of your home should always slope away from your house in all directions. To achieve this "grading", you need to know the high and low points of your home, filling in the low areas with extra dirt and soil as necessary. Bringing in the help of a professional landscaper is a great way to make sure that the grading is done correctly. They will help ensure that it plans for vents, windows, pipes, and drains.
2. Use mulch in your garden as much as possible. Mulch helps keeps soil in place and holds in the rainwater during heavy rainfall. Keep mulch at least six inches from your siding to avoid any standing moisture which can rot the exterior of your home.
3. Using native plants can help prevent erosion of soil. They allow water to drain more efficiently from your yard.
4. Add drainage areas near your driveway and ensure that all downspouts are pointed away from your home. Driveways are a great place for water run off to gather. Adding drains will keep your driveway dry and the water away from your home.
5. Install rain barrels and create a rain garden. Rain gardens help collect storm-water and runoff from gutters and downspouts while rain barrels create the perfect place for storing the water until you can use it! Rain barrels are an eco-friendly way to save on your utility bill – you will always have free water readily available for your yard and gardening!

Bring in a Professional

While landscaping is a great place to start to protect your home from flooding, sometimes it is necessary to have a professional landscape company review your work. And even the most prepared home can still suffer from flooding and water damage.

If you find your home has experienced any water damage caused by flooding or another reason, call in the professionals at Water Out Fort Wayne. We service the cities around the Fort Wayne area, providing water damage restoration as one of the main services we offer.

Our expert teams provide free estimates, a 60 minute response time, and a 100% quality guarantee. Call us today to schedule your appointment and start repairing the water damage before larger problems arise.