Spring Time Equals Water In Basements For Some Home Owners

With this odd weather we are having and our already full water table, I wanted to write a blog about the water in basements in Saskatoon. It is unfortunate, but it seems that houses in Saskatoon are often getting moisture where they may have never had that problem in the past.

With the rain in Saskatoon that we are experiencing right now I have spoken with people who are getting moisture in the basement of their homes. Unfortunately as a Saskatoon real estate agent there is not much I can do about this but try and educate people and point them to people that can assist them. It appears that in certain areas, moisture is a fact of life. 

There are things you can do though, and the biggest thing to look at is what is happening externally. The quickest thing is usually the culprit, and that is lack of proper down-spouting from the eaves-troughs. Many people put the arm up as it is in the way or unsightly, but forget to put it back down. This causes water to pool near the base of the house, which overwhelms the weeping tile (if there is any) which then causes moisture to occur. The other thing is commonly the eaves themselves. They may be clogged with leaves or just past their life span, so invest in new ones or cleaning out your existing eaves as it is cheaper to do maintenance than it is to fix foundations.

The other thing to look at is how your property is graded. Due to time and shifting of the ground, your once level grass may now point the water towards your house. Get some extra dirt in and make sure that the yard slopes away from your house.  It is always best to consult with a professional though.  They will have the best idea of how to correct any flooding that is occurring in your home.

Be sure to visit the city of Saskatoon flood prevention website to find out additional tips that can assist you.  Remember to do your yearly maintenance on your house in Saskatoon as prevention is the best cure!

Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Conexus Realty Ltd.

This entry was posted on 25. April 2008 at 02:46 and is filed under Saskatoon Real Estate. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.