How to Flood Proof Your Home: A Practical Guide

For many Americans, flooding is the most dangerous natural disaster they face. Floods can be scary, and while you can’t stop the rain, there are many things you can do to make your home more flood proof.

Discover how to keep your home safe from a flood — and find out how a new garage door can help.

What Is Flood Proofing?

Flood damage costs the United States over $180 billion every year. That's a frighteningly high number, and as extreme weather events are increasing in frequency, there’s plenty of reason to believe that figure will increase. 

Much of this damage is done to people’s homes. In some cases, there’s nothing homeowners can do in the face of a flood if it’s sufficiently large. However, in many instances, performing some flood-proofing measures can save property owners a lot of money and heartache.

Flood proofing a home typically involves improving drainage, creating conditions that draw water away from the home, as well as closing openings through which water can enter the building. The good news is that many of these actions are relatively simple and inexpensive. Furthermore, many of these flood-proofing activities have other benefits for your home, such as cutting down on draftiness and increasing the beauty of your house.

Steps To Flood Proof Your Home

Here are some steps you can take to make your home as flood proof as possible:

Elevate Your Home and Utilities

If you’re building a brand new house, build it on the high ground of your property; don’t build it in a ditch. With that said, most of us live in homes that already exist. We can’t exactly raise the whole house up and put it on stilts. So, what can we do?

We can raise important utilities—such as a water heater, air conditioning unit and other HVAC equipment—off the ground. Water, famously, finds the lowest level possible, so elevating these important appliances can keep them safe if flood water invades your home. You can use wooden platforms or cinderblocks to raise these important units. 

Improve Yard and Property Drainage

One common mistake builders and homeowners make regards the direction of the downspout coming from the eavestrough. A well-designed, free-of-debris eavestrough is a great tool for funneling rainwater off your roof and guiding it … where? If your downspout doesn’t move the water away from your home and downhill, it’s not helping to lower the flood risk.

Landscaping can also be key to flood prevention. You want to direct as much floodwater as possible off your property and to the street. If you live in a flood prone area, this may require digging a ditch or trench to funnel water away.

You can also use a good, old-fashioned rain barrel. You can place this under your downspout and collect water you can use for your garden. If you do, though, make sure the ground slopes away from the barrel, too, in case it overflows in heavy rain.

Seal and Waterproof Your House

A powerful flood event can knock over entire walls. However, water likes to take the path of least resistance. It doesn’t have to knock over anything if there are gaps around your windows or cracks in your walls.

Sealing up cracks with waterproof sealant is simple and inexpensive, yet it’s a vital part of flood preparedness. And don’t forget your doors. Doors warp over time, so an older door may not provide a good seal around the doorway. The same is true for your garage, so a new garage door may be in order.

Install Flood Sensors or an Alert System

There are numerous flood sensors and other devices that can give you a flood warning before your ankles get wet. Such sensors and systems enable you to take preventative and protective actions before extensive damage happens. 

Prepare an Emergency Flood Kit

What you keep in your flood kit depends on where you live and the likelihood of flooding. It could include a shovel to dig an emergency ditch, sandbags to act as flood barriers, a flashlight in case of a power outage, rain boots, flood pants and maybe a copy of your flood insurance policy.

Have an Evacuation Plan

You want to protect your home as best you can, but it’s more important to protect yourself and your family. Ultimately, flood insurance can help you repair and replace whatever is water damaged. But nothing can replace your family, so consider the best way to exit your home in a flood emergency and discuss this with your family.

Tips To Flood Proof Your Garage Door

Often, people’s garages are more porous than the rest of their homes. Families typically don’t spend as much time in their garage as they do in their living room or bedroom, so it makes sense the garage doesn’t receive the same attention in terms of upkeep and maintenance.

This can be an issue when flooding occurs. In many homes, water more easily enters the garage. For homes with attached garages, this makes the whole home vulnerable to flood damage, while detached garages can’t protect their contents if they’re not flood-proof.

The garage door can be a major vulnerability. Here are some steps you can take to flood proof your garage door:

Inspect Your Garage Door

Before flood season, it’s wise to perform a garage door inspection. Look for any weak points and take care of any necessary garage door maintenance.

Seal the Threshold

You can attach or replace a seal at the bottom of your door. With a rubber strip along the bottom where the door meets the ground, you can create a tight seal. This acts as a flood barrier, preventing water from seeping in.

Replace Weather Stripping

Weatherstripping also seals gaps around the side of the garage door. You can install or replace stripping here to keep out rising waters or heavy, sideways rain.

Use a Flood Barrier

You can keep a flood barrier to use before or during heavy rain events.

Clean the Eavestrough

It’s wise to clear out your gutters and downspouts once or twice a year. This prevents them from overflowing in heavy rain. Cleaning out leaves and dirt is a simple yet effective flood protection method. If your gutters are full of junk, they can easily overflow in mild rain, causing water damage to your roof and walls.

Research Your Options

Learning about garage door construction can help you make the best decision regarding whether to repair your garage door or purchase a new door. Different materials may perform differently in storms. Furthermore, if your current door isn’t insulated, you may want to purchase an insulated garage door to help keep external weather, well, external.

Remember, a lot of these flood-proofing methods have positive side benefits, too. Sealing up cracks won’t just keep floodwaters out, it keeps out bugs and cold and hot air. This can help with your energy bill and help you not have to see creepy crawlies in your bedroom.

Cost Considerations

As with most things, it’s easier—and cheaper—to pay to prevent flood damage than repair it. Home insurance and, if you live in an area that’s at risk of flooding, flood insurance are both must-haves. FEMA also offers assistance in some cases.

Many flood-proofing measures aren’t particularly costly, so they’re worth investing in. Similarly, buying a new garage door can end up as a safety, aesthetic and financial positive for your home; there are many factors that ameliorate the initial cost.

First, a new garage door is likely to provide potentially crucial flood resistance. This is especially true if you purchase a storm-rated garage door. Such a garage door could save you money on insurance, so that’s certainly worth looking into.

Furthermore, a new garage door adds to the curb appeal of your home. This can increase property value, giving you a better return when you decide to sell your home. A home with a beautiful new garage door and no flood damage is much more attractive than the opposite.

Discover How Amarr Can Help You Flood Proof Your Home

A new garage door from Amarr can beautify your home, but it can also protect it. We offer numerous storm-rated doors that can secure your home, belongings and family. You can even test what a new garage door might look like on your home with our fun Design Your Garage Door tool.