Over the years, your home has mostly stayed away from water damage and is in great shape. However, you're worried about the possibility of damage outside and inside of your home and want to minimize this possibility. This wise choice requires the implementation of a variety of home improvement techniques.

The following methods are designed to both prevent water damage and to repair this problem if it occurs in your home. By following these tips to the letter and maintaining a resilient and robust home, you can avoid severe water damage and repair it quickly if it does, unfortunately, happen to develop in your home at any time.

Projects That Prevent Water Damage

Water damage can occur in many different ways, both inside and outside of your house. The following prevention projects will provide you with the home improvement benefits you need to keep your home free of this problem. Make sure to check out whether all of them are appropriate for your needs.

Replacement Gutters

You need to replace your gutters if they end up suffering from any damage that could lead to problems with water in your home. For example, improperly-installed or poorly-functioning gutters may direct water towards your house or along with other areas and cause water damage in various areas.

Replacement gutters can help avoid this issue by keeping water away and moving it properly. This simple improvement step is relatively inexpensive, in some cases, though you may have to replace all of your gutters in this situation to ensure that everything goes smoothly.

Gutter Protection

Your gutters are typically the most exposed area of your roof can suffer from a surprising amount of damage. However, you can add a gutter protection system in and around your gutters to keep this problem from becoming an issue. Most gutters are adaptable with this type of system.

Typically, these units also blend seamlessly with your existing gutters to create a handsome and appealing roofline. Try to include at least one of these projects the next time you're trying to improve your home and keep water away from your foundation area.

Interior Pipe Repairs

Burst or leaking pipes are the most common cause of water damage in a home. This issue typically occurs if you don't carefully maintain your pipes or repair any problems that you may have noticed. Usually, your interior pipe repairs will require a lot of patching and even replacement methods.

However, this home improvement method is a wise choice because it can eliminate weak plumbing and keep your home safe from water damage. Just as importantly, interior pipe repairs can help to prevent pipes, minimize potential lead infections, and much more.

Improving Your Home Foundation Protection

During a flood, water is likely to flow in through your foundation and cause a multitude of problems that can be an issue for your house. Thankfully, there are many ways that you can prevent this problem. For example, you can improve the slope outside of your home to move water away from your foundation.

You can also add barriers throughout your yard, such as boulders and artificial hills, that can redirect flood waters away from your home. Though these landscaping tips are a little pricey compared to other improvement techniques, they can help you avoid serious problems with flooding.

How to Repair Water Damage

Although the steps above may help to minimize water damage in your home, you may end up suffering from this damage no matter what you do. This situation is very frustrating and might drive you to distraction. Thankfully, you can repair this type of water damage by following this process.

Gauge the Type of Water Damage

There are typically three types of water damage that you have to watch out for during the improvement process: clean, gray, and black water. Clean water comes from rain, condensation, and leaky pipes. It requires minimal cleanup and shouldn't cause significant issues. Gray water comes from washing machines, dishwashers, and toilets and may have some contamination issues.

Unfortunately, black water is that which comes from sewage or severe flooding. Plenty of bacteria, waste, and contaminants will be crawling through this water. Your repair cost will vary depending on the type of water: from as low as $3.75 per square foot with clean water up to $7 per square foot with black water. Never try to clean gray or black water damage without professional help.

Check for Mold and Dry the Area

After you've confirmed that your water was clean, you need to try to eliminate mold as soon as possible. Typically this requires drying the affected materials immediately after the water disappears. Waiting too long – even 24 hours – could cause mold to grow in your home. This problem is dangerous because you might end up suffering from allergic reactions.

And if mold does grow in your wet home, don't try to clean it out on your own. This home improvement process will require the help of a high-quality cleaning expert to manage appropriately. These professionals will come to your home, identify where mold has become the most prominent in your house and will clean it up as soon as possible to avoid further complications.

Removing Damaged Items

After you've dried up your home and removed all mold, you need to remove all damaged porous materials and throw it away. These include carpets, fabric, insulation, and even furniture. These items will absorb a large volume of water and can trigger mold and mildew growth in your furniture. Unfortunately, you'll need to get rid of these items to avoid any danger.

Then, you need to buy and install replacements for any items that you removed from your home. This process is often the most complicated step because you'll need to not only acquire new items but sterilize your home and eliminate any contamination that could occur. Most people cannot handle this kind of DIY repair on their own, and if they do, they're likely to cause more problems than if they'd left it alone.

Professional Help is a Wise Choice

The problems associated with water damage make it essential to try this improvement method to keep your house protected. Unfortunately, water damage may still occur and cause you real complications. Thankfully, professionals can deal with this problem for you and get you back in your home safe and sound.

So if your home experienced severe water damage and you want to make sure that it doesn't experience any more complications, please don't hesitate to contact us at Eicher Design Build right away to learn more. We are a home improvement expert who can work to fix your Iowa City, IA home and keep it safe from mold and other issues.