It is important that your property and the area around your home always be dry and not prone to flooding from rainwater and other sources of water. Even if you have a pipe burst that causes the flooding, if the water is drained quickly and efficiently it makes it much easier to make repairs to any damage caused by the water. All this is possible if you have the proper exterior drainage solutions in place around your home.
Water around the foundation of a home can cause cracks in it and affect the structural integrity of your home. If this water gets into your basement it can lead to damage to the property you have stored in there. Damp conditions caused by flooding that is not prevented can lead to the formation of mold and lead to health risks. A home that has a history of constant flooding can be viewed as one that has less value. Flooding can also lead to damage to any landscape you have laid out around the home, the death of plants, and a need for repairs to any hardscape that you have laid out.
Most flooding occurs when your property is part of the catchment of the surrounding area and in direct line of the natural flow of water in the region. This can happen when your land is at the foot of the slope of a much higher land or hill. If the water from this catchment does not drain out fast enough from your property, it can even cause the house itself to get flooded, and lead to extensive damage to property. You must take care to conduct a proper survey of the contours of the land surrounding your property so that you can anticipate such flooding and take the proper measures to drain out the water before it becomes a hazard or inconvenience. This can allow you to locate the source of any water that can come into your property and build drains to intercept this, so that your area is properly always drained.
There are many ways in which you can resolve this problem of flooding and the solution you choose must be based on the seriousness of the problem, and the amount of water you must deal with. You can always elevate all the area around your home, and if you have conducted a proper survey before building your home, you will also have its plinth at a height where flood waters will not be able to enter your home. You can also fill up the surrounding land so that the water can never enter its raised height and bypasses your property.
A simple solution is to build French drains at spots where you anticipate the water will enter your property and see that these drains are properly led to outside areas or sewers so that the water no more causes a problem. It requires you to build a trench intercepting the water and must slope away from your property. A perforated pipe is then installed in this trench and covered with porous material like gravel or sand. Your yard is then level and usable once again. Any water that this drain intercepts will find its way through the porous material and then into the pipe through the perforations in it. The water will then be led outside your property.
To protect the foundation of the home, you can install a pipe or drain all around the perimeter of your building and have this pipe or drain that is led away from your property. Roof water can always add to the problem of flooding and roof gutters must be adequately designed and have down takes that lead into drains that carry the water away before it can cause any flooding.
Once you have built your home, you need to see that the area all around it is properly graded, so that water is always led away from the house. You can always decide that you want to conserve the water and opt to put in a rainwater collection system that can help you to reduce your water bills. This stored water can easily be used in the dry season for watering your garden or for general cleaning.
Building a dry well allows the excess water to be stored in it and need to be in spot that is much lower than the general level in your property. It is always advisable to install sump pumps of a proper capacity in your basement so that even if it gets flooded, the water will be automatically removed.
Improving the soil on your property can also allow it to deal better with flooding. This should improve its capacity to absorb water so that the water never remains above ground. A proper survey of the geological conditions of the soil and ground levels can go a long way in helping you to set up a proper drainage system that will prevent the flooding of your property.