Here’s How to Landscape Your Home to Prevent Flooding

DIY Tasks & Projects

Add a Rain Barrel

A rain barrel is a great way to collect and redirect water away from your home to protect it from flooding. Styles include classic wooden rain barrels and heavy gauge PVC models for long-lasting durability. A rain barrel can also reduce your water usage because you can use the water to irrigate your lawn and gardens. Simply place the rain barrel on level ground at the bottom of a downspout and adjust the spout accordingly. Check out our Rain Barrel Guide for tips on choosing the right rain barrel for your home.

Mulch Your Garden Beds

Mulching your gardens and other plant-lined areas is a great way to keep water away from your home and help prevent flooding. Mulch not only absorbs water; it also helps keep the soil in place. Take care not to mulch too close to your home to avoid excess water coming in contact with the foundation.

Use Native Plants & Trees

The more plants and trees you have, the better. This is especially true of native species because their root systems are better adapted to absorb rainwater and redirect runoff during heavy  storms or in the event of a flood. Non-native trees and plants may not survive if they become saturated with too much water.

Lawn Maintenance

A healthy root structure can help your grass to better absorb water and help prevent flooding. Use good fertilizer, water and mow on a regular basis, and tend to any dead patches immediately. If replanting, take care to plant a variety of grass that will thrive in your area. Avoid cutting your grass too short as this weakens the roots and can lead to flooding in your yard, and possibly your home.

Maintain a Healthy Soil

Fresh, healthy soil can also help prevent damage from flooding. Make sure you give your soil plenty of fertilizer, and maintain a regular schedule for watering your soil, plants and gardens.

Snow Removal

Snow can easily build up around the foundation of your home. This can cause flooding when the weather warms and the snow melts. Be sure to regularly clear away any snowdrifts and ice throughout the winter, especially after a heavy snowstorm.

Install Drainage Channels

Rainwater can run off driveways, patios and walkways towards your home. Digging out shallow drainage channels on either side of these features is a relatively easy and inexpensive way to reduce the risk of flooding. Make sure the channels lead to someplace safe like a swale, rain garden or drainage ditch. Most importantly, make sure they don’t carry water onto your neighbour’s property

Projects Requiring Professional Consultation

Build a Drainage Swale

A drainage swale is simply a depression that contours around the bottom of a slope to safely channel away storm water and prevent flooding. Along the way, water is filtered off through fast-draining soil. Moisture-friendly ferns and grasses help keep the soil intact, while gravel and rocks further assist absorption. A swale can work to carry gutter water from your house, or safely divert runoff from hills or higher areas of your property.

Create a Rain Garden

Whereas a swale is essentially a travel route, a rain garden is a destination, collecting water in a small depression and absorbing it into the soil. Together they can form an effective line of defence against flooding. Generally planted with moisture-tolerant shrubs and flowers, rain gardens are also eco-friendly, removing up to 80% of chemicals and sediments from runoff. Be sure to locate your rain garden at least 10 feet from your home and far away from any septic system.

Install Pervious Paving

Pervious paving materials can help prevent storm water or rising flood waters from running along your driveway, patios, and walkways towards your home. There are three basic types, each allowing water to seep through into quick-draining gravel underneath. 

1. Concrete Pavers: This method leaves gaps between the pavers that are filled with gravel or sand to allow quick drainage. 

2. Porous Concrete & Asphalt: Built-in air pockets allow for easy water absorption. 

3. Plastic Grids: These systems keep the surface layer from compacting to allow water to pass through. You simply roll out the material, pin down the edges, and fill the spaces with decorative gravel, sand or grass seed.

Add a Retaining Wall

A retaining wall prevents erosion and helps divert water away from your home during a flood. Just make sure you’re diverting the water in a safe direction and away from neighbouring properties. Strength is key to avoid wall failure under pressure, so use quick-draining sand or gravel-based soils vs. clay soils, which retain water. Perforated piles and weep holes will also reduce pressure.

Check Your Property Grading

Your property was most likely built with a five-degree downward slope on all sides. This prevents water from pooling and entering through the foundation—a very real threat during a flood. But your property grade may have changed over time if previous owners constructed garden beds, a terrace, new driveway or other types of landscaping. You should consult a with a professional grading contractor before taking action, but you can also do a preliminary check. You’ll need a hammer, line level, tape measure, twine and two wooden stakes. Then follow these five easy steps: 

1. Hammer in the first stake next to the foundation and tie on the twine at ground level

2. Measure out 10 feet, hammer in the second stake, and tie on the other end of twine 

3. Place the line level in the centre of the twine (twine should be at least six inches above ground) 

4. Slide the twine up and down on the second stake until the line is level 

5. Measure the distance between the string on the outer stake and the ground

6. Repeat this process on all sides of your home

Proper landscaping outside your home can help protect the people and contents inside. Start small with some DIY projects. Once you start landscaping defensively, you’ll be better able to identify which larger projects are most suitable for your property.