Prevention & Flood Defense

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Barriers, pans, hoses and winterizing gear.

5 guidesUpdated November 1, 2026How we score

Where the water goes in a storm decides whether the basement stays dry.

How-to and problem guides

What to do, in the order a crew would do it.

How-to
How to fix grading, downspouts and window wells to stop a wet basement
Most wet basements are fixed outside, with a shovel and some downspout pipe. The sequence that works: make the gutters catch the roof water and carry it at least 5 to 6 ft from the wall, regrade so the soil falls 6 in. in the first 10 ft, then give every window well a cover and a drain. On the wet-basement calls we ran, those three jobs stopped the water more often than anything sold for the inside of the wall. Here is how to measure each one, do the work in a weekend, and read the sump pump and the hygrometer afterward to prove it worked.
14 min readUpdated October 30, 2026
How-to
How to winterize pipes: the checklist, and when heat cable makes sense
Burst supply lines from freezing were the most expensive residential water losses we dried, and nearly every one started at a pipe the owner knew was exposed: a hose bib with the hose still on, a run through a crawl space with the vents open, a line in a garage wall. Winterizing is an afternoon in October: hoses off and bibs drained, irrigation blown out, exposed runs sleeved and air leaks sealed, heat cable on the few runs that need it, and a cold-snap routine of open cabinet doors, a dripping faucet and a thermostat that never drops below 55°F. This is the list in the order water freezes, with the manufacturer and CPSC rules for heat cable and what to do if a pipe freezes anyway.
15 min readUpdated October 30, 2026
How-to
Basement waterproofing checklist: gutters, grading, window wells and sealing, in that order
Before anyone sells you an interior drain system, spend a Saturday on the outside of the house. Most of the wet basements we were called to were roof and lot problems: a downspout dumping at the corner, soil that had settled toward the wall, a window well with no drain. The fixes cost less than the estimate for the drain tile, and the checklist runs in the order water travels: gutters and downspouts first, grading second, window wells third, then cracks and sealers, and only then the interior drain, sump and dehumidifier. Here is the walk-around with the measurements, what each interior fix can and cannot do, and the point at which the pro systems are the right call.
14 min readUpdated October 30, 2026
How-to
The home water-protection checklist, by season
The water losses we get called to come in seasons: failed sump pumps in the first long fall rain, burst supply lines in the first hard freeze, wet basements at the thaw, flooded pits in a summer power outage. Each one is cheaper to prevent in the month before it than to dry out after. This is the list we would hand a homeowner, split into four twenty-minute sessions, with the guides for the jobs that need more than a bucket and a flashlight.
10 min readUpdated October 30, 2026