In case you didn’t notice it—or don’t live in sunny/warm Minnesota—Our weird winter turned into a the craziest freeze-thaw behavior since this guy. …Resulting in water woes in many-a-basement. Houses that perhaps never had so much as a drop of H2O downstairs, joined the ranks of the damp-basement set in March ’19.
We’re willing to bet that most homeowners know the ‘2 Gs’ of keeping your basement dry. If you don’t, a drum roll please…
GUTTERS — If you don’t have gutters… well, git ’em. If you got ’em, make sure those downspouts are attached – they mysteriously fall off over the winter, just in time for the thaw. And cleanliness is next to godliness, folks.
GRADING — Landscaping and concrete should be sloping away from your house. If it isn’t, you’ve got a funnel straight to waterlogsville in your foundation.
But wait, there’s a third ‘G’ of dry basements and that is…
GARDEN.
Your new eco-friendly garden can be your basement’s new best buddy.
Your ‘ol gutters can only do so much, and even with good grading, that water needs someplace to GO. Your city, especially MPLS, would also love for more water run-off to stay on your property, versus hit the overloaded sewer system.
So here’s the pitch: dig a ditch!
You can make a rain garden, a French drain, a bioswale, and other uber-eco solutions to get that Spring runoff running off where it needs to go & flow. Side perks: your yard will be more beautiful, more ecological, and who knows, your garden might even win an award.
Even better, hire Kayla Nortrup, owner of Mama Terra Landscaping in Minneapolis and St. Paul to do it right-the-first-time for you.
Kayla and Mama Terra are renowned for their eco-sustainable gardening practices. Here’s what Kayla has to say:
“We fix grades and implement drainage systems in an eco-friendly manner, while properly managing water flow through aesthetically pleasing and sustainable landscape features like French drains, bioswales, rain gardens, and native plants.”
So, having water problems this Spring? Or just want to head it off for the future? Don’t forget about GARDEN in the equation of water-flow on your property. And consider hiring an expert like Kayla to make your garden and basement BFFs.
