If you happen to have a basement, one of the things you may be worrying about is how to make sure that it’s as dry as possible. Having too much moisture in the basement has a number of negative effects that are particularly discouraging especially if someone will be spending a significant amount of time in it.  For one, the moisture could end up damaging some of the fittings, and can even lead to staining of the paint and damaging the floor as well. In addition to that, the presence of moisture is also associated with the growth of mold, which in turn will make the place smell musty.

Landscaping: One of the things you can try out to reduce flooding

This means that when you are doing basement renovation, it would be wise to think of ways of reducing the amount of water that goes into the basement. When thinking of solutions to this, most people often only consider measures such as redoing the foundation and the use of waterproof cement.

However, you should keep in mind that the way in which you do the landscaping around the basement can also affect the ability of water to seep into it. This effect is often increased in the presence of a basement window, which can provide a route through which the water can seep into the basement. Well, even in the absence of this, having too much water flooding around the basement area can still cause the water to seep through the walls.

What is the goal of basement landscaping?

For this reason, when you are thinking of doing basement renovation, you should also think about the merits of proper landscaping. However, this does not simply mean making sure that the outside of the basement looks nice. You need to have a number of practical goals including:

•    Reducing the ability of water to reach the basement area, such as after it has rained.

•    Ensuring that there is no room for pooling of water around the basement

•    Achieving the above without causing any compromise to the structure of the walls, or having a negative impact on the aesthetic appeal of the landscaping.

What can you do to limit such seepage?

If you want to do landscaping in such a manner that it will make the basement area look good and also reduce the amount of seepage there, you can try out a few of the tried and tested ways to go about it. Some of these include:

•    Change the slope

To reduce the chances of flooding, you should consider having the grounds around the basement slope at an angle. When this is away from the house, it means that any water that accumulates on the ground such as after rain will drain away from the house, rather than towards it.

•    Change the down sprouts

If you have a number of down sprouts leading water from the roof to the ground, making sure that they extend a few feet from the base of the house will reduce the chances of them discharging the water into the area around the basement. This way, in case there is a heavy downpour, it will not all accumulate around the basement area.

•    Be careful on the use of impervious surfaces

It’s very important that you keep an eye on the way you use impervious surfaces for the landscaping. For instance, if you have a lot of concrete slabs around the basement, it means that if it rains, most of it will accumulate on such surfaces if it’s not sloping. This gives it a better opportunity to seep through the walls and into the basement. If you decided to use such surfaces, it would be a good idea for you to make sure that they are designed in such a manner that they will not result in water flooding around the basement for too long.

•    Grow native plants around the area

In the area around the basement, you can decide to grow native plants such as shrubs rather than a lawn. The reason for this is that lawn is not very good at absorbing a lot of water from the area around it, and this in turn means that in case of very heavy rain it is bound to accumulate. However, the native plants tend to develop very extensive root systems, and these have the capacity to absorb a lot of moisture from the surrounding. This in turn means that it will be easier in such circumstances to keep the area free of any moisture.

In summary, if you are interested in ways of keeping your basement free of any moisture, you should also consider using basement landscaping to achieve this as well. This is something that many people take for granted, despite the fact that it has been shown to be very effective.