Spring is finally here! It’s the season of blooming flowers, warmer days, and the annual ritual of sprucing up those flower beds. For many homeowners, that means loading up on dirt and mulch to refresh the landscaping.
But before you start piling that mulch up against your house, hold up!
You can easily avoid this...
This customer noticed moisture on the INSIDE of their home when a trim piece started to come away from the wet drywall. After an inspection, this resulted in the entire wall needing to be removed and rebuilt-from siding to studs to drywall and paint.
Here’s the deal: while mulch and dirt may look great and help retain moisture for your plants, placing it right up against your home’s foundation can actually cause serious problems. Mulch and dirt holds moisture, and that moisture can seep into your foundation or siding—especially after spring rains. Even worse, that damp environment is basically a welcome mat for termites. Termites love wood and will find a way to eat through studs and plywood after finding their under the siding.
Here is how we help home owners combat this problem...it is a smart landscaping tip that could save you thousands of dollars in home repairs.
A successful solution
Lining the area immediately next to your house wall with river rock helps water drain more effectively and keeps that crucial area dry. Termites hate dry ground, and moisture-related damage becomes far less likely. Plus, river rock adds a clean, polished look to your landscaping—and it's extremely low maintenance compared to constantly refreshing mulch every season for the entire bed.
In an example like the one pictured above, the $60-$70 per ft of river rock lining could have saved well over $15k in a total wall repair (include interior drywall and paint).
So this spring, think beyond mulch and dirt. A one-time investment in river rock around the base of your home could be the simple change that saves you thousands in termite treatments, water damage repairs, and unnecessary stress down the road.
Happy landscaping—and here’s to smart, beautiful, and worry-free yards!
Happy landscaping!
