Restaurant dining area with debris on the floor. This photo illustrates the topic and is not from any address mentioned on this page.
Think like water
Start at the highest point of your lot and follow the path rain would take to the lowest. On a hillside, water arrives from uphill neighbors, the street, your own roof and driveway, and sometimes open space behind the house. It leaves through a swale, a side yard, a street gutter or a drainage channel. Anywhere along that route where the ground dips toward the house, water can pool against the foundation and find a way in.
Walkout doors, window wells, garage doors, basement egress windows and gaps around utility penetrations are the usual entry points. Mark each on a rough sketch of the house and note how high it sits relative to the ground around it.
Walkaround checklist
Prioritizing what you found
- IfWater is aimed at an opening, like a downspout dumping beside a walkout doorFix first. A downspout extension or redirect is quick and has a big effect.
- IfSoil slopes toward the house on the uphill sidePlan regrading before July; it is the most common cause of foundation water on slopes.
- IfA fence or wall blocks a swaleTalk to your HOA and neighbor; drainage easements may limit what can stay.
- IfA public inlet or channel looks undersized or cloggedReport it to the Town of Castle Rock or Douglas County rather than clearing large structures yourself.
- IfEverything looks right but water still gets inConsider a drainage engineer or contractor to evaluate the lot as a whole.
Common questions
- Is it safe to do the rain walk during a thunderstorm?
- No. Lightning is a real danger on exposed Castle Rock hillsides. Do the wet-weather walk during a steady, non-thunderstorm rain or with a garden hose run from the high side of the lot to simulate flow.
- How often should I repeat the walkaround?
- Once each spring, and again after any landscaping, fencing or construction project on your lot or a neighbor's.
General information for Castle Rock, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.