How to Flood Proof Your Home

Climate change has changed the world in many ways. Today, before you can buy a home, you must consider the climate and weather of that place. The rise in sea level is exposing most homes to the dangers of flooding, which makes it imperative to learn some tricks on how to floodproof your house.

You can start by buying a dewatering pump or fitting your house basement with a sump pump to drain all the basement water. If your house foundation is built below the water table, you should follow these tips to floodproof it:

1. Apply sealants

If your house has cracks that allow water to penetrate through the walls when it rains, you can seal them up with a coating or sealant. Apply a sealant or coatings on the cracks to fill up all the spaces and floodproof your doorways, walls, foundation, and windows.

2. Fix check vales on pipes

When there is a heavy downpour, your house can flood because of a blocked sewage system. To prevent this from happening, you can install check valves on all pipes entering your home. Ask your plumber to install the best get valves to seal your home against flood.

3. Face the downspouts away from your house

During heavy rains, your house can easily flood if you have downspouts facing your home. The gutters should be pointed away from your house and installed in the right position. If you position the gutters the wrong way, they can pull on the house corners and result in leaks on the wall.

4. Go for air-brick covers

You can shop for air brick covers to proof your house from floodwater. You can fit these air bricks in your house and remove them once the water level goes down so that your walls can dry up and prevent cracking.

These types of brick build a temporary waterproof membrane on your walls, preventing floodwater from entering your home. Air bricks are not that expensive and are readily available in most flood-prone places.

5. Get yourself flood insurance

This may sound more serious, but worth it if you value your home. Floods can destroy your home and result in massive losses. The only sure way of floodproofing your home is therefore buying flood insurance. Only take mortgages that are backed with flood insurance if you live in flood-prone places. If you live in flood-risk areas, you should not assume that the government will come in and provide disaster assistance – get some insurance and protect your home from floods.

6. Change the landscape

You can also waterproof your home by working on your home landscape. Ensure your home surrounding has higher drainage so that water seeps easily into the ground instead of ponding around your home. You can channel stormwater away from your home by digging depressions or swales away from the house. The swales can also collect runoff water that surrounds your house, causing floods.

Final Thoughts

If you want to minimize the effect of flooding in your home, you must floodproof your home. Conduct a flood risk analysis of the area and stay up to date with these tips to proof your home of floods. You can also consider relocating to high ground areas to save yourself of unnecessary home repair costs.