Learning About Building Repair Techniques

When you discover your home has flooded from natural causes or from failed plumbing or sewer, you almost go into survival mode. You save what you can and just try to spend the first little while talking to insurance and making sure your family has their needs taken care of. But after the repairs begin and you start to take control of your home again, you need to take precautions to reduce the risk of ever going through a similar problem again. Here are some things you can do to guard against future damage. 

1. Take advantage of repairs to make updates to plumbing.

If your flood was caused by some sort of plumbing problem, use the repair time to really get your plumbing completely repaired and ready. For example, if you had a basement flood because of a broken pipe, don't just replace that pipe, but have a plumber check other pipes in the home to make sure they are also in good condition. Sometimes, older homes can have pipes that are on their last legs, and you don't want them to fail in future right after you've just had your home restored. 

2. Replace lower-level windows and doors. 

Flooding and water damage can also occur when you have poorly installed or designed lower level windows. Maybe, for example, you had leaks from a basement window during a rainstorm because the window well was not properly installed or designed. Don't just repair this window. Have every window and lower entrance looked at to make sure they won't also cause problems in the future. 

3. Add extra waterproofing measures. 

As you tear up carpeting and drywall that is damaged from water, you have an open canvas to install more waterproofing methods. On a bare floor, for example, you can easily cut out space for a sump pump or an indoor French drain to reduce the risk of flooding. A professional waterproofer can also put in barrier methods while your basement is open to make sure everything stays dry going forward. 

4. Update your approach to storage. 

Finally, items stored in basements or crawl spaces can often be the victims of water damage. You might have lost documents, books, home decor, electronics, and other keepsakes. Instead of storing everything in a basement, consider getting a low-cost storage unit or update your storage methods to keep things on high shelves or even hung from the ceiling, instead of sitting on the floor. 

Talk to a water damage restoration company for more advice.