Even if you consider your life to be more trouble free and fun than most others that you know of, you have to admit that even yours can seem somewhat chaotic at times. There is no such thing as a life completely free of bumps in the road, and this especially applies to those that take the plunge into home ownership. There are some wonderful experiences to be had when owning your own home, but there are some hidden tragedies lurking around the occasional corner as well if you are not careful. Many of these dreaded experiences that may come without welcome during your years of home ownership will be issues that result in the presence of water damage in your home.
How well your home stands up to water has a lot to do with how the house is built. Many things will come into play such as age and the type of materials that were used when the home was constructed. The topography of the land your house is sitting on, as well as the land around it, will come into play as well, since this will greatly determine the direction of water being routed during hard rains or flash flooding. Naturally, the ideal location for your home is higher ground to aid in keeping your house out of reach of any unwanted water flow.
If you are building a new home then you will have the luxury of pointing out possible issues with any slopes in the lot to the builder ahead of time and having a proper drainage system put in place during the course of the build. If you are at the very beginning stages of shopping a location for your future home, you will want to select an elevated spot that does not appear that it would be on the receiving end of draining water easily. Many people do not take this into consideration or may and decide to seek discounts in the property to compensate for the added risk of possible flooding. This is not something that you should consider, as the amount it will cost when facing possible flood damage in the future will outweigh the savings you may possibly be offered for the lot in the beginning.
There are two different ways your home may have been placed on the ground, one being on a block foundation and the other being on a concrete slab. If your home has been constructed on a block foundation, a serious water related issue for you to watch out for will be water getting through the block is sitting underneath your home. Eventually, this could cause flooding and even mold damage. In order to avoid problems such as this, you should do what you can to waterproof the crawl space underneath your house. It is wise to cover the earth beneath your home with a layer of plastic sheeting, as this will prevent water and moisture from coming up out of the ground. You also want to make sure that there are no holes or cracks that water can get through to make it's way under your home. If there are, you want to use a recommended filler or caulk that will help seal off the vulnerable areas. If water still manages to find a way in during heavy rains or even flash flooding, it would be good to place a dependable water pump under your home that will turn itself on when water is detected and pump the water right back out as it is coming in.
If your home is built on a concrete slab, then it is resting fairly even with the ground. The water related issues that can come from this is that it will not take much of a rise in the water level from a storm to bring water even with your front door. The key to preventing water from letting itself into your home at this point is to be sure that all of the weatherstripping and seals around doors and any other areas that could be possible entry points into your home is in good shape and doing their jobs of sealing your home and making it water tight. You do not want to be inspecting these items as bad weather is coming your way. You should do this now, looking for any signs of wear or cracking. If any items appear to be damaged, replace them right away. Be sure to use caulk to seal around windows and any other areas where water may be able to find a way in.
By paying close attention to details such as these now, you can save yourself a lot of time and money down the road by avoiding falling victim to water damage in your home.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jose_A._Dykema
How well your home stands up to water has a lot to do with how the house is built. Many things will come into play such as age and the type of materials that were used when the home was constructed. The topography of the land your house is sitting on, as well as the land around it, will come into play as well, since this will greatly determine the direction of water being routed during hard rains or flash flooding. Naturally, the ideal location for your home is higher ground to aid in keeping your house out of reach of any unwanted water flow.
If you are building a new home then you will have the luxury of pointing out possible issues with any slopes in the lot to the builder ahead of time and having a proper drainage system put in place during the course of the build. If you are at the very beginning stages of shopping a location for your future home, you will want to select an elevated spot that does not appear that it would be on the receiving end of draining water easily. Many people do not take this into consideration or may and decide to seek discounts in the property to compensate for the added risk of possible flooding. This is not something that you should consider, as the amount it will cost when facing possible flood damage in the future will outweigh the savings you may possibly be offered for the lot in the beginning.
There are two different ways your home may have been placed on the ground, one being on a block foundation and the other being on a concrete slab. If your home has been constructed on a block foundation, a serious water related issue for you to watch out for will be water getting through the block is sitting underneath your home. Eventually, this could cause flooding and even mold damage. In order to avoid problems such as this, you should do what you can to waterproof the crawl space underneath your house. It is wise to cover the earth beneath your home with a layer of plastic sheeting, as this will prevent water and moisture from coming up out of the ground. You also want to make sure that there are no holes or cracks that water can get through to make it's way under your home. If there are, you want to use a recommended filler or caulk that will help seal off the vulnerable areas. If water still manages to find a way in during heavy rains or even flash flooding, it would be good to place a dependable water pump under your home that will turn itself on when water is detected and pump the water right back out as it is coming in.
If your home is built on a concrete slab, then it is resting fairly even with the ground. The water related issues that can come from this is that it will not take much of a rise in the water level from a storm to bring water even with your front door. The key to preventing water from letting itself into your home at this point is to be sure that all of the weatherstripping and seals around doors and any other areas that could be possible entry points into your home is in good shape and doing their jobs of sealing your home and making it water tight. You do not want to be inspecting these items as bad weather is coming your way. You should do this now, looking for any signs of wear or cracking. If any items appear to be damaged, replace them right away. Be sure to use caulk to seal around windows and any other areas where water may be able to find a way in.
By paying close attention to details such as these now, you can save yourself a lot of time and money down the road by avoiding falling victim to water damage in your home.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jose_A._Dykema
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