Fall brings a lot of excitement with it: the promise of Halloween, cooler weather, and the late-year holidays. However, the changing of the seasons means more than just excitement for many homeowners. If you don’t move to protect your basement, you may find yourself contending with unexpected changes in your home as the seasons switch over.
That said, there are steps you can take around the house to prepare your basement for the fall. By working proactively, you can prevent the kind of internal damage that can make your autumn less enjoyable.
Clear Out Your Gutters
Your gutters have a significant influence over the health of your basement, especially in the fall. As the leaves start to fall, after all, they can clog up your gutters and force water to pool around the perimeter of your home when the autumn showers roll in. As that water pools around your home, it will increase the amount of hydrostatic pressure the structural supports in your basement have to endure.
If you want to limit that hydrostatic pressure, you’ll want to clean the leaves out of your gutters on a regular basis.
Reposition Your Downspouts
In a similar vein, you’ll also want to make sure no critters or summer-loving friends have accidentally disconnected your downspouts from your gutters. Your downspouts, after all, also help direct rainwater away from the perimeter of your home.
If you’re worried about your downspouts shifting throughout the rest of the autumn season, you can speak with the professionals in your area about the availability of underground downspouts. These downspouts are significantly more difficult to displace, and you can work with contractors to unclog them should any leaves or other debris form an obstruction.
Re-seal Your Basement Windows
Your windows provide natural light in your basement, but they also put your structural supports at risk. If you don’t make a point of maintaining your basement windows or draining your basement window wells, you’re at risk for damage when the seasons turn over.
As the temperatures start to cool, it’s best to look over your seals and determine whether or not the summer weather caused them to crack.
Waterproof Your Basement
When in doubt, it’s never a bad idea to invest in home waterproofing measures. The waterproofing measures you can install throughout your basement will not only help you reduce the hydrostatic pressure your home has to endure in the fall, but they’ll help eliminate excess moisture in your home year-round.
Some of the best basement waterproofing measures you may have available to you as the seasons turn over include:
- Sump pumps
- Interior drainage systems
- Vapor barriers
- Dehumidifiers
Note that you can also stack some of the protective measures for more comprehensive protection.
Avoid DIY Crack Fillers
If you find damage in your home, it may be tempting to try and fix that damage on your own. Unfortunately, DIY solutions can cause more problems for your basement than professional solutions. After all, DIY solutions could do more harm than good, and they often do not address the structural problem that let that crack form in the first place.
Invest in A Home Inspection
If you’re not sure whether or not your home’s at risk for water damage this autumn, or if you want a professional’s opinion on your potential waterproofing measures, you can always invest in a home inspection. During a home inspection, the contractors in your area can come out to your home and walk through your basement with you. Together, you can identify the areas that may be weak to hydrostatic pressure and what measures may help you protect your home as precipitation starts to get heavier in the Richmond, VA, area. When in doubt, don’t hesitate to reach out to the professionals at JES serving the Richmond, VA, area. Together, you can walk through your basement and determine whether or not it needs tuning up before summer turns into fall. After an inspection, you can look over the free quote provided to you by the JES expert who looked over your home and determine what your basement maintenance budget for the changing seasons may look like.
