Water Is An Important Ingredient Of Life,

Let me state here ROOFS REQUIRE REGULAR MAINTAINENCE!Surprised? It's a fact. In conclusion, water can be your friend or your enemy. This is called "day lighting to the curb". Depending on the lot conditions, this can be easy or more involved. It is also the life sustaining ingredient for many flora and fauna that attack your house. Why isn't it? For most people, its lack of understanding of the whole problem. Means© Illustrated Construction Dictionary:Flashing; A thin, impervious sheet of material placed in construction to prevent water penetration or direct flow of water. One mistake I see often is that there are actually gutters on the house but the downspouts are dumping all the water collected right into the very nice planter right along side the foundation and concentrating it there. It's what I'm looking for. Improperly installed, rusted, or damaged flashings can lead to hidden damage inside walls and such that may not become visible until much damage is done. The list is extensive and none of its effects are good. So why is it an enemy of your house? Water is one of the most powerful solvents in nature. Check for missing, out of place (slipped) shingles, wind damage, snow / ice damage, cracked clay or concrete tiles. The sad thing is it is usually easily handled.Overview of DrainageThe ideal condition for drainage it to have the structure at the top of a hill. In extreme conditions like a lot that slopes to the rear, away from the street, the drainage system can be directed to a "sump pump" collector system that will pump the water back up to the street for disposal in the storm drainage system. Current grading standards call for a 2% slope (1/4 inch per foot) slope away from the building for a distance of 10 feet. Most jurisdictions do not allow you to make your problem someone else's problem by simply allowing your drainage to flow onto their property. While not always possible, the same condition can be artificially created. In many new construction houses I look at, they actually install an underground piping / drainage system to receive the outflow from the down spouts and direct it to the curb. Damaged or missing flashings create conditions very hospitable to mold and termites. On some lots, it requires aggressive use of sub-surface drains (called "french drains") or construction of a "swale" or artificial ditch, often lined with concrete, to direct the water around and away from the footings. Flashing is used especially at roof hips and valleys, roof penetrations, joints between a roof and vertical wall, around windows and doors and in masonry walls to direct the flow of water and moisture. Things like mold, fungus, termites and other critters need it or are enabled by its presence, to destroy your house, either quickly or slowly. In order for you to get the longest and most trouble free life out of your roof, there are several things you must do. Aging composition shingles displaying loss of granule coating, deteriorated "ridge" caps. While more aggressive measures such as french drains and swales can be expensive, the payoff comes in the fact that your house does not sink into the softened soil that unhandled drainage issues will produce.On your home, it erodes the paint, stains the siding, dissolves the mortar holding brick and stone together, corrodes the metal flashings meant to prevent water intrusion, softens the soil supporting your foundation, washes away the soil supporting foundations and retaining walls and other structures, washes away or saturates hillsides causing land slippage.How about just directing the drainage off the property somewhere?.