The issue is soil. Some soil absorbs and drains the water very well, so a downspout that diverts water just a few inches away from your home works pretty well.

Other soil doesn’t perform so well. If your soil is the latter type you’ll see puddles pooling next to your home during a storm. This can result, eventually, in a great deal of erosion around the base of your home.

If you see erosion around the base of your home them you can bet that all of that water is getting pretty close to your foundation, too. That’s exactly what you don’t want.

You have a couple of options when it comes to building a downspout drainage system.

One of the simplest is to simply add a splash block. You can find splash blocks in vinyl, plastic, or concrete. The concrete ones do last the longest, of course. Some companies make decorative splash blocks that can at least make your downspout drainage system a little bit more visually appealing.

The rainwater collection systems we’ve already been talking about are also great ways to take care of the problem. You not only make the water useful to you but you keep it off the ground entirely.

Pipe extensions are another easy way to handle the problem. You can use above-ground pipe extensions or you can use underground pipe extensions.

The flex-drain system that’s outlined in this video by Lowes creates a very easy DIY pipe extension system that is also incredibly effective. As you’ll see, this system makes it easy to run the water right to the curb:

As the video mentions, you should always call Miss Dig at 811 before doing any digging whatsoever. You may also need a permit, so call your county building department to make sure that you’re in the clear before you begin.

Of course, no downspout drainage system is going to be very helpful to you if your gutters aren’t clean, leak-free, and in good repair to begin with. How are yours doing? If you live in Brandon or anywhere else in the Central Florida area then give us a call for a free estimate so you can find out!