Your Best Tool Against Water Damage: An Umbrella

My father-in-law recently bought a new Arts & Crafts house outside Asheville. While the interior of the house didn’t even require a paintbrush, water running off the driveway had begun to carve a gulley through his yard.

During one of our warm, dry fall days, he enlarged the gulley, then buried a drainage pipe and drain where it appeared the water was exiting the pavement. Yesterday, as I was driving past his house, it began to rain, so I made a quick turn and headed up his street. I parked my truck and reached down for the one tool I knew I would need: an umbrella.

Water is like a college student: they both pretty much go wherever they want.

I recalled reading about a college that, after completing a new building on campus, purposely omitted any sidewalks. Two weeks later, their reasoning became as clear as the paths the students had already begun to make. The concrete masons returned and poured the sidewalks over each of the paths.

Hunched over the drain in the pouring rain, I could see a problem. The drain was only catching about half of the water. The other half was already digging a new trench beneath the drainage pipe. But now, like the college sidewalk, we knew where the drain needed to be.

Water can do more damage to the outside of your house than the sun or wind, but unless you know where and when to look, you might not realize it. During a moderate shower your roof can capture hundreds of gallons of water and, unless it is directed properly, that water can end up in your basement, seeping across your crawlspace or inside your walls.

Next time it rains, instead of grabbing a good book, pick up your umbrella and take a walk around your house. Check the gutters to make sure water isn't running over them. Inspect the downspouts to make sure water isn't spurting out from one of the seams. And check your foundation to make sure water is running away from it and not toward it.

You'll have to wait for the sun to return to make the necessary adjustments, but at least now you'll know exactly where the water is running.

Good Luck!

- Bruce Johnson