Although it is officially March 21st (or the 20th depending on which astronomers you ask), we finally feel like we can say Spring is here. The weekend was gorgeous, sunny skies and fair weather. And although we still have to social distance, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the weather:
- Long walks
- Laying on the grass
- Grilling
- Picking up a new hobby
- Endlessly scrolling on Facebook (Ok, not this one, but we do it anyways)
Cleanup Time
With Spring comes Spring Clean-up. Landscape companies are still operating as essential businesses and can come clean up your yard. They will toss the garden beds, weed, pick up sticks and debris in the yard, and edge the garden. Or better yet, you can do it YOURSELF.
Sundays are yard days, and I love going out cleaning up the yard. I make a small fire and put all the branches and cut plants into it as the day goes on. Lunch on the grass, dogs hanging out, what better way to spend a Sunday?
Work on What Matters
While you are out taking care of the yard, we want to give you a couple of tips. A little attention to a few things can do great wonders for the stability of your home’s foundation, as well as for keeping your basement dry. Often overlooked, these little tips can be the difference between your basement flooding, and a quite Tuesday night.
Gutters
I can never, EVER stress this enough. Get on the roof (if practical) and clean your gutters out of the debris they gathered during the winter. Before the BIG rains hit, you want those gutters clear and working properly.
Gutter Extensions
Make sure that you have gutter extensions. And when you do, make sure they are connected. With ice damming and months without needing to check, the connections can become loose or separated.
The gutter extensions should be at least 20 feet from your house to avoid the water recirculating and potentially flooding your basement.
Grading/Mulch
Before you add a bunch of mulch to the garden (I’ve already seen it happening loads this weekend), be sure that you can see the top of your foundation. Years of piling mulch on mulch will bring the grade level above the top of your foundation. This will allow water over the top and into your basement, causing a basement flood.
There. 3 Simple things that will help get you ready for this Spring’s heavy rains. Do not get caught unawares. Be ready, because the last thing you need is your man-cave/den/kid’s play area flooded.
Thanks for reading, and as always:
“Not Everything’s Better When Wet”
