Drainage Checklist Before Storm Season: A Central Texas Yard Walk-Through

Central Texas does not have one storm season. It has two. Spring brings the biggest rain of the year, and fall brings a second wave when cold fronts collide with warm, humid air. Use this drainage checklist before storm season to find weak spots while the ground is still dry enough to fix them.

The National Weather Service climate summary for Austin puts the yearly average at about 35.5 inches and lists May, October and June as the wettest months, in that order. Local weather reporting adds that flash flooding tends to peak in May, and that October is a second severe-weather season. Those are Austin numbers, so your part of Pflugerville, Hutto or Round Rock may run a bit different, but the pattern is a good guide.

The checklist below takes about an hour. Do it in two passes: one on a dry day, and one during or right after a real rain.

Before you start

Gather a few things:

• A tape measure and a 4-foot level
• A garden hose with a spray nozzle
• A camera or phone
• Gloves and a ladder (use caution)
• Flags or marking paint
• A notebook

Also decide on safety. Do not climb on a wet roof, and do not walk in or near fast-moving water.

Part 1: The roof and gutters

Roof water is the largest source of water near your house, so start here. One inch of rain on a 1,500-square-foot roof sends roughly 900 gallons through the gutters.

Checklist

1. Clean leaves, seeds and shingle grit from the gutters.
2. Check that gutters slope toward the downspouts. Pour a bucket of water in and watch.
3. Look for sags, loose hangers, gaps at the corners and leaks at the seams.
4. Inspect gutter guards if you have them. They reduce cleaning but do not remove it.
5. Flush every downspout with the hose. Water should run out freely.
6. Look at the fascia boards for stains or soft wood, which points to overflow.

If your gutters overflow in rain even when clean, the cause may be too few downspouts, a clog in a downspout elbow or a roof area that sends more water than the system can handle. Read more in our post on gutters, gutter guards and yard drainage.

Part 2: Where the downspouts end

This is the step that makes the biggest difference. Walk to the end of each downspout.

Checklist

1. Measure the distance from the end to the foundation. Published guidance ranges from about 3 to 10 feet, depending on the source, and clay soil argues for the far end. Check with your city or HOA for any local requirement.
2. Make sure the water flows away from the house, not back toward it.
3. Look for bare patches, washouts or sunken soil at the outlet.
4. Check extensions and flexible pipes for cracks, kinks or clogs.
5. If you have buried drains, find the pop-up emitters or discharge points. Pop the cap and clear leaves and mud.
6. Check that buried pipe lines are not crushed or blocked. Run a hose into the drain inlet for a few minutes and look for water at the other end.

If your downspouts empty at the wall, burying them is a strong upgrade. Our underground downspout drains carry the water away in solid pipe.

Part 3: Grade around the house

Grade means the slope of the ground. The model building code says the surface should fall at least 6 inches in the first 10 feet away from the foundation walls. That is a drop of about half an inch per foot.

Checklist

1. Lay a straight board or a 4-foot level on the ground, pointing away from the wall. Measure the drop.
2. Check all four sides of the house. The back and one side are the usual problem spots.
3. Look for places where soil has settled and left a dip along the wall.
4. Check that mulch, rock and flower beds do not trap water against the house.
5. Look at the slab edge. You should be able to see some of the concrete above the soil. If soil covers the slab edge, it can let water and pests in.

If you find a flat or backward slope, see our guide on how to grade your yard away from the foundation. Our yard drainage and regrading service can rebuild it.

Part 4: Low spots, swales and drains

Checklist

1. Mark every place where water stood after the last rain.
2. Walk the property line swales. Remove clutter, clippings and trash. Do not fill or block them. Many are part of a shared drainage system, and altering them may need approval from the city or HOA.
3. Cut tall grass and weeds in the swale to keep water flowing.
4. Check any catch basins, channel drains or French drain outlets. Clear leaves and silt with a gloved hand or a small shovel.
5. Pour a bucket of water into each basin. It should drain in seconds, not minutes.
6. Look at where each drain discharges. Is the outlet blocked, buried or crushed?

If a spot stays wet more than a day or two after rain, it deserves a closer look. Our post on signs of poor drainage around a foundation explains what to watch for.

Part 5: Concrete slabs

Slabs show drainage problems early. Water gets under them, soil washes out and they settle.

Checklist

1. Walk the driveway, sidewalks, patio and porch.
2. Check for trip edges where one slab sits higher than its neighbor.
3. Look at the joints. Open or cracked sealant lets water run under the slab.
4. Check the slope. Water should run off the surface, not pond on it.
5. Tap the slab with a hammer or pipe. Hollow sounds may mean a void.
6. Note any slab that tilts toward the house.

Seal open joints and cracks before the rainy months. Concrete crack and joint sealing keeps surface water out. If a slab has dropped, slab leveling lifts it after the water problem is addressed.

Part 6: The foundation and the house

We do not do structural foundation repair, so this part is a look-and-report step.

Checklist

1. Look at the foundation edge. Note any cracks and take a photo with a coin or tape measure for scale.
2. Check the brick for stair-step cracks.
3. Open and close every door and window. Do they stick or leave gaps?
4. Look for new cracks in drywall near door and window corners.
5. Check the attic or crawl space (if you have one) for signs of moisture.
6. Note any smell of mildew.

New or growing cracks, or doors that suddenly will not close, are a reason to call a structural engineer or a foundation repair company. Expansive clay soils are widely recognized as a common cause of foundation problems in this part of Texas. Your area, in the Blackland Prairie belt east of I-35, has the clay that moves most, though movement varies lot by lot.

Part 7: Sprinklers and irrigation

Checklist

1. Run each zone for a minute and watch for leaks, broken heads and spray hitting the house.
2. Turn off the system before a major storm, or use a rain sensor.
3. Make sure no head sprays the slab edge.
4. Check your city’s watering rules for current limits. Round Rock, for example, uses a year-round twice-per-week schedule, and Austin has its own stage-based rules.

Part 8: Trees and plants

1. Trim branches that hang over the roof, and keep them off the gutters.
2. Look for trees within a few feet of the slab. Roots pull water from clay and can cause uneven soil moisture.
3. Check for dead or leaning trees. A storm can bring them down.
4. Keep shrubs back from drains and downspout outlets.

Part 9: The big rain test

Once the dry-day checklist is done, do the second pass during a real rain. This shows what a checklist cannot.

1. Stand outside with an umbrella and watch the gutters.
2. Watch each downspout outlet. Water should flow clear and move away.
3. Watch the grade. Where does the water go? Where does it stop?
4. Note the first place that floods.
5. Take photos and video with the time stamp.
6. Check again 24 hours later for standing water.

You will learn more in 20 minutes of rain than in an hour of guessing.

Making a priority list

After your walk-through, rank the findings.

Fix before the next rain:

• Clogged gutters and downspouts
• Blocked drains and emitters
• Downspouts that end at the wall (temporary extensions are a start)
• Debris in swales

Fix this season:

• Low spots near the house
• Open joints and cracks in slabs
• Eroded areas
• Bare patches that wash

Plan with a pro:

• Regrading toward or around the house
• Buried downspout drains
• French drains or channel drains for chronic wet zones
• Slab leveling where slabs have dropped
• Anything that touches a foundation concern

Rules to remember

• Call 811. Texas law requires you or your contractor to contact Texas811 at least two business days before digging. It’s free and covers small jobs.
• Check with the city and HOA. Rules for grading, drainage and work in easements vary, so ask before you change them.
• Mind your neighbors. Texas Water Code section 11.086 says you can’t divert or impound natural surface water in a way that damages another person’s property. This is general information, not legal advice. For disputes, see a lawyer.

Putting the checklist to work

Print this page, or save it on your phone, and run through it each spring and fall. Keep your photos. A record of how water moved in past storms helps you and any contractor you call pick the right fix.

If you found something that you can’t fix yourself, or you want a second opinion before the next round of heavy rain, request a free estimate. Homeowners in Pflugerville and Manor can have us look at the grade, the downspouts and the low spots in one visit.