The Best Way to Drain Water Away From a House
The best way to drain water from a house is cheapest-first — discharge, grade, then drains. How to work the sequence and when to escalate.
Category
Foundation Protection
Most basement and crawl-space moisture problems start outside. This section covers grading around the house, where downspouts discharge, hydrostatic pressure and the warning signs that drainage — not the wall itself — is the real issue.
Guides · Page 3 of 3
Foundation Protection articles
How Close Should Downspouts Be to the Foundation?
The downspout can sit at the wall, but its discharge shouldn't. Why the release point matters more than the pipe, and how far is far enough.
French Drain Around a Foundation
How a French or footing drain works around a foundation, exterior versus interior, the outlet or sump, and why it's not the same as waterproofing.
Foundation Settling and Water
How water and foundation settling feed each other, what saturated soil does to the footing's support, the warning signs, and when it's structural.
Foundation Drainage vs Gutters
Why gutters and foundation drainage solve different stages of the same water problem, why a gutter that discharges at the wall defeats itself, and how the two work together.
How to Waterproof a Foundation From Outside
What exterior foundation waterproofing actually involves, why it means excavating to the footing, the layers that make it work, and why to try drainage fixes first.
Foundation Crack Repair Basics
The two halves of a lasting foundation crack repair — sealing the crack and fixing the water feeding it — plus which cracks are a professional's job, not a DIY seal.
Signs of Foundation Water Damage
The early indoor signs of foundation water damage, how to read what each one is telling you, and why most point back to a drainage problem outside the wall.
Do You Need a French Drain Around Your Foundation?
When a French drain around a foundation is genuinely warranted versus when cheaper grading and downspout fixes solve the problem first, and how to tell which you have.