Took 8 years to figure out I was pointing my downspouts the wrong direction

My neighbor's basement flooded last Tuesday during that storm and when I helped him look at his gutters, I realized my downspouts were dumping water right against my own foundation instead of sloping away. Has anyone else dealt with a simple fix that you should have caught way earlier?

2 comments

2 Comments

luna_craig581mo ago

Always figured gutters were pretty simple until I had to help a buddy deal with a wet crawl space last year. Realized mine were doing the same thing, just dumping against the house. Now I check them every spring like some kind of responsible adult.

iris_jones891mo ago

That moment when you realize your house has basically been taking a shower every time it rains, right? Did you actually check the grading around your foundation too, or was the gutter fix enough? I only ask cause I've seen a few houses where people clean the gutters but the downspouts still dump right next to the footer without any sort of extension. That water just finds its way down eventually, even if the gutters are clean as a whistle. A simple splash block or those flexible drain tubes can make a huge difference for not much money. Just something to keep an eye on since you're already in the habit.