It’s pretty simple.

Water in your basement = bad.

Water on your lawn = bad.

Water running down the walls of your house = bad.

So water is bad, right? Well, we wouldn’t have the humid and life-bringing climate we enjoy here in the lower mainland without copious amounts of water falling from the sky, evaporating into clouds, and falling again onto our lush lawns and gigantic trees. Precipitation is a small price to pay for living where we live. 

But it’s not the only price. 

As we emerge from another dark and rainy winter (probably one of our mildest in recent memory, truth be told), it’s time to take another look at the pros and cons of water drainage when it comes to your home and your landscaping. 

Pros

Not-so-hidden pro: a dry basement and an intact foundation. You need your home to work and function, right? Well, you’re one fierce spring storm away from a destroyed basement and thousands (or more) dollars in damage. 

So what are the hidden pros to landscaped water drainage solutions?

Curb Appeal

Installing berms, swales, water harvesting tanks or working creeks simply looks nice. A home in metro Vancouver that embraces the never-ending downpour is a home that’s got it figured out. When the rain falls, and it will, people walking on the sidewalk will peer out from their umbrellas and be jealous of any house that incorporates creative water management solutions. 

Durability

The cold air in Northern Alberta is a difficult element for homebuilders to work around. When it gets cold, things simply break down – cars, garages, and so on. Here in the lower mainland? Substitute cold for wet. When things get wet, they break down. Moving parts, electrical elements and integral components like your foundation don’t work when they’re wet. Keeping every part of your home dry for the long haul is the best way to keep everything sturdy for as long as you live there. 

Home Value

And when the time comes to not live there any more? Channeling water away from home steadily increases its value in relation to every other home on the street that’s not doing the same. For example, we wrote about Poly B piping a couple weeks ago – neglecting your home’s drainage requirements outside will eventually lead to water damage inside, exacerbated by an outdated material like polybutylene pipes. 

So organized flowing water outside looks nice, it helps your home stay dry for longer and it boosts the value when it’s time to sell. So what’s the catch?

Cons

There’s only one: cost.

Equipping your home with the proper solutions necessary to keep it dry isn’t free. With the amount of water we’re subjected to on a seasonal basis, we’re forced to spend money to deal with the problem. 

Those of us who are proactive, however, often save in the longrun. No, we’re not begging you to call us and give us all your money, but we are asking that you ensure your home is properly outfitted to handle the realities of our climate. A lot of this can be done with regular checks and routine maintenance such as cleaning out your gutters. After that, water harvesting tanks, pump systems, emergency backup generators and automatic transfer switch systems are just another line of defensive options to guarantee the lifespan and value of your home. 

So yeah, those things cost money. But the cost without proper safeguards will be a lot higher. And everyone walking down the street will notice.