Tips for Fall Clean Up: Keeping Your House Free from Water Invasion

Now that fall is nearly over and most of the hurricane-related storms have swept through, trees have shed their leaves and it’s time to take care of the clean up.

While the colors of fall are beautiful, the leaves look much better on the trees than clogging up your gutters and downspouts or nestled up against your foundation.

It’s the perfect time to do just a few hours of clean up and prevent possible water build up due to leaf debris.

Here are our top tips for which areas to inspect and clean:

● The Gutters – Falling leaves can quickly clog them, causing overflow during winter weather. The good news is they can be easily cleaned by using a shop vac, hose, or leaf blower. If, however, you are not comfortable on a ladder, we highly recommend hiring someone to handle this aspect of clean up.

● Downspouts – The second area, which is often overlooked, is where the downspouts empty onto the ground. Blockages here will allow the downspouts to leak at ground level, causing water to nestle against the foundation.

● Up Against the House – The third area is up against the house itself. Speaking from personal experience, it’s amazing how many leaves can gather here and the volume of moisture that they hold. Once the leaves are removed, inspect the ground against the foundation to see if there is any settlement, which would allow for pooling of water. If there is, usually a shovel and rake and a little bit of hand grading will allow you to grade this section so that it slopes away from the house. Sometimes you may need to add some dirt if the ground has settled significantly.

While these are not very labor intensive and may seem like small suggestions, a little bit of preparation now can make a huge difference during the winter months.

Have questions or need assistance winterizing your home? Contact us today!