It is quite common for a home to have some water leak into the basement. What causes this and what can be done to eliminate this problem or to avoid this problem?

A large percentage of problems in Kansas City homes are caused by two items (1) clogged or poor gutters and (2) improper drainage away from the basement walls. If either of these problems exists – it is almost impossible to keep water out of the basement.

Clogged or poor gutters – The gutters and downspouts must be free from leave and debris to work properly. One can see the debris in the gutters but you cannot see the debris in the downspouts. An ideal way to check to see if your gutters are working properly is to grab an umbrella and walk around your home during a rainstorm. It only takes a couple minutes and can avoid some huge problems. The gutters and downspouts must be properly fastened to your home to work properly. Sometimes they need reattached. Trees and limbs need to be kept trimmed and should be at least 4 feet from your house. Screens over the gutters help to keep you gutters working properly.

Improper drainage – Dirt may need to be applied around your basement walls to insure that the water runs away from you home and not towards your home. This is critical. Be careful when landscaping that you do not trap this water by applying landscape timbers, stones, ect. This water must be able to flow away from your home. It is very common for the dirt next to your basement walls to settle. It is important to bring in some dirt to fill these holes.

Contact us for a dirt contractor that will take care of this problem. It costs about $400 to purchase a large load of dirt, have it delivered and spread around your home/yard.

More information on water in the basement, check it out on the web.

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