Residential Flood Damage Prevention 101

Imagine your expensive electronics, designer furniture, and bespoke wallpapers being washed away in front of you. Sounds horrific, doesn’t it? Residential flooding is a reality for homeowners. According to statistics, by 2050, 16.2 million US properties will be at a ‘substantial risk’ of flooding. But fortunately, there’s a list of some easy tips that can prevent your home from being flooded. Follow these 5 tips and save thousands of dollars.

1. Check the Foundation

With time, your home’s foundation can develop cracks. Water can seep through these cracks and may widen them — exposing you to a threat of flooding. You can take care of this issue by yourself. All you need is some mortar or masonry caulk. Inspect your foundation and fill the cracks and gaps that you see.

2. Location of Your House

Be careful when you’re buying or renting a house. Your location plays a huge role in determining whether you’ll be experiencing a residential flood. This flood map by FEMA   outlines different areas and marks them with colors. It ranges from blue, yellow, red being the dangerous zones and orange being the safest.

You may not always have different choices when shifting to a house, but you can be mindful of it to take precautionary measures when need be.

3. Raise Your Property

As a preventative measure, you can raise your home on piers and stilts. Similarly, if you’re getting a new home built and know that your area may be flooded in the future, you can add this feature to the plan from the beginning.

4. Drain Plugs

Sewer flooding often gets ignored. If the sewage water backs up, your house can be flooded with foul-smelling water and sludge. To protect your home from this, you can install drain plugs in your drains (especially the ones in your basement).

Get a plumber to install backflow valves on different pipes across your house to avoid wastewater entering your home through toilets and sinks.

5. Landscape Maintenance

Homeowners often ignore the fact that their landscaping is linked with flood protection. Landscape maintenance is the best thing you can do to mitigate residential flooding. For instance, it’s vital that your properly clean your gutters, splash pads, and downspouts. In case they back up, the rainwater will accumulate and enter your house.

Reach Out to a Leading Water Damage Restoration Company

Is your residential property damaged because of water? Service Master Colorado can help you! Our trained professionals in the water damage restoration department will promptly respond to your emergency to reduce the damage. We also provide mold removal services and fire damage restoration in Grand, Routt, and Moffat counties, including Steamboat Springs.