Drainage Problems, the Dummy Solution

berms and swales

Suppose for a moment that you have a problem. No, not your love life or the way your dog keeps humping your significant other's leg. Let's pretend that you have "Drainage Problems Around a House Built on a Hillside." So, like most people today, you head for the internet and plug that description into the blank at your favorite search engine. What do you hope to find in return? We're of the opinion that given that sort of search, you're looking for solutions. That's not what eHowian John Walker seemed to think, however, at least based on his post at GardenGuides.com.

Walker, a degree in management notwithstanding, has graced these pages twice before with less-than-stellar logic. His logic might be even worse this time... he started in the right direction, with an introduction that told his readers that,

"Houses built low on a hillside will always face drainage problems."

Well, they will if the construction process doesn't take the landscape into account. So what might said problems be? According to John,

"...the water will flow into the basement or beneath the house's foundation..."

...which, again, is preventable. If not prevented, however, Walker cunningly reveals that you might have such issues as,

"Mold and Mildew... Water flowing down the hill into the house is siphoned into the walls, which allows the mold or mildew to grow. "

We wouldn't say "siphoned," ourselves, preferring to think in terms of capillary action. Walker then "informed" his readers that,

"...builders need to evaluate the soil for proper drainage and type of soil before erecting [a] concrete slab otherwise [sic] drainage from the hill will seep up through the concrete."

Ummm, John? That'll happen on level ground, too... And then there's,

"Poor drainage around a house on a hill means that water will be standing against the exterior wall facing the hill and leaking into the basement. .. The walls can be protected during the construction phase of the basement by sealing the outer edges with a moisture barrier or sealant paint."

This putz thought you could protect a house from water draining down a hill with "sealant paint"? What a maroon!
No, the key to preventing "Drainage Problems Around a House Built on a Hillside" is straightforward: direct the water away from the foundation. John, you idiot, you should have been talking about berms and swales to shunt the water beyond the sides of the building, french drains around the foundation, and a robust drainage system underneath the slab with a sump or sumps. Not some bushwa about "properly sealing exterior walls and installing moisture or vapor barriers beneath the foundation"! After all, even if our Dumbass of the Day didn't know this, vapor barriers are standard beneath any slab. Sheesh!

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