Protecting Your Investment: Water Control Techniques
'Tis the season to be thinking about home maintenance! Well, ok, maybe that's just me - but that's why you need me! I am always looking out for your greatest asset and today I attended a seminar over Zoom provided by Paul Cassens from Insight Home Inspections that focused on potential water damage to your home and everything you can do to prevent it! This is so important because the Richmond region has a humid climate which results in many crawlspace and foundation issues in our area. Because these damages occur slowly over time, many homeowners do not realize anything is happening! Here are some tips:
Top 4 Home Water Issues Countdown!
#4: The downspout discharges to ground which slopes toward the house. Go ahead, it's okay to laugh at super nice Paul the home inspector's haircut - I'm pretty sure he's wearing it that way on purpose! Don't let that distract you because this is a great tip that he's highlighting here! This issue is relatively rare, appearing on only 2.48% of their inspection reports. Example below, this could likely be solved by some minor regrading and a downspout extender:
#3: The gutters are filled with debris. This issue is also not super common, appearing in only 5.35% of their home inspections. Good job, homeowners!
#2: The downspout extension is missing. This one happens about 11.09% of the time and is SO important for keeping things dry! Keep that water away from the house! See below:
And the most common Water Control Issue found on home inspections is...
#1: The yard is sloping toward the foundation! This is reported on 19.53% of their home inspections which means it is fairly common! It's actually the #2 most common issue overall in their home inspections! This is a huge contributor to crawlspace moisture issues. The grading of your yard is SO important and can be very costly to mitigate if left alone. Now, don't get discouraged if this is something you have going on at your home. During the call, Paul pointed out that you can build up the dirt closest to the home to overcome this issue, and if that doesn't keep you from having problem, there are other things you can do as well to mitigate sloping toward the foundation. Example below:
I am always looking out for you and keeping you informed whether it's during the home inspection or forever after! Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about current trends or where things are going in your neighborhood. If you want to take advantage of this unique market, let's have a conversation about your real estate goals. And the best compliment I could ever receive is for you to send another wonderful client my way!
