Berms can be surprisingly effective, but honestly, just piling up dirt and planting grass usually won't cut it long-term. I tried that once on a flip a few years back—looked great initially, but after a few heavy rains, erosion set in and I ended up back at square one. Learned my lesson and started adding landscaping fabric underneath and some stone edging to reinforce things. A bit more upfront effort, but it held up way better through storms and saved me headaches later.
"Learned my lesson and started adding landscaping fabric underneath and some stone edging to reinforce things."
Totally agree—fabric and edging make a huge difference. I went through something similar restoring our historic place. Ended up using native plants with deeper root systems too...they hold soil better and look amazing once established. Plus, they're low-maintenance, which is always a bonus when you're juggling other renovation projects.
Fabric and edging definitely help, but I've found they're not always enough on their own. When we renovated our place near the river, we added a French drain system beneath the landscaping fabric—it redirects water away before it can even become an issue. Also, choosing permeable paving materials for paths and patios made a noticeable difference. It was a bit more upfront work, but worth it to avoid headaches later on...especially in flood-prone areas.
French drains were a game changer for us too. We didn't even realize how much water was pooling around our foundation until we dug down to install one—there was literally standing water underneath! After putting it in, our basement stayed bone dry, even during heavy storms. I second the permeable paving as well...it lets water seep through rather than creating more runoff. Definitely worth the extra effort upfront to save yourself from costly repairs later.
We had a similar issue, but French drains weren't in the budget at the time. Instead, we got creative with landscaping—built some gentle slopes and planted thirsty shrubs around the foundation. Honestly, I was skeptical it'd do much, but it's actually helped a ton. Our basement isn't bone dry during the worst storms, but it's way better than before. Totally agree on permeable paving though...we did a small patio area with it, and it's amazing how much water it absorbs. Wish we'd known sooner too, would've saved a lot of headaches and soggy carpets.
