Baxter Gutter Replacement & Gutter Guard Installation

Where the water goes after the downspout

A gutter system that collects water perfectly and then dumps it at the base of the wall has moved the problem four feet, not solved it. Most foundation water problems trace back to discharge, not collection. Soil next to a foundation is backfill, looser than undisturbed ground, so it absorbs water readily and holds it against the wall. Repeated saturation there is what shows up later as seepage, efflorescence on basement walls, or seasonal cracking. The fix is unglamorous and cheap compared to the alternative. Extensions carry water four to six feet out. Splash blocks help direct flow but do not move water far enough on their own. Buried drain lines take it further still, and are worth considering where grading works against you. Grading matters as much as the extension: the ground should fall away from the house, and if it falls toward the house, no downspout arrangement fully compensates. When a contractor quotes a replacement, ask what happens at the bottom of each downspout. If the answer stops at the elbow, the design stops short of the actual goal.