Home care: Flood prevention needs to be on everyone’s list

Floods are no longer a unique event, and for many in Ottawa, will always remain a possibility. PHOTO BY ADOBE STOCK Kathryn Shaver has enough experience with basement floods to last several lifetimes. Her Parkwood Hills home first flooded three years ago during a severe thunderstorm. Shaver recalls: “About five inches of water poured into our basement, damaging multiple rooms and leaving us with an overwhelming cleanup and a long restoration process.” To say the situation was a nightmare would be an understatement. She reports: “Our 1960s bungalow has several rooms in the lower level, including two bedrooms, so the damage was extensive. Between rebuilding walls and flooring and restoring furniture, appliances, electronics, and clothing, the total cost came to just over $45,000.” Insurance inefficiency dragged the pace of restoration, which took nearly a year to complete. History repeated itself this summer. Shaver’s home was one of the many affected by disastrous Canada Day floods. She recalls: “My sister and I were hosting a party at her house when the storms rolled in. There was a lot of wind and rain, but flooding hadn’t even crossed our minds until our immediate neighbour sent a message letting us know that the street—and basements—were underwater yet again. My husband Jon (Bishop) left the party to check on our home, and sure enough, we were back at square one.” Her one saving grace? Only groundwater entered her home on Canada Day, as she had a sewer backwater valve installed. Brianna McGregor is another Ottawa resident strongly urging homeowners to pay attention to their basement valves. Her parents, Heather and Gord McGregor, are struggling to recover from the Canada Day floods. Nearly three feet of water entered their home (and Gord appeared on CTV not long after to showcase the damage). Brianna, a designer and owner of Daisy Interiors, is now applying her home design chops in a way she wishes she never had to, helping her parents and others future-proof their basements with flood-minimizing designs. Practical considerations, like valves, drainage, land grading, sump pumps, and flood alarms, are high on her list of recommendations. She also encourages homeowners to consider using waterproof materials like LVP flooring, tile, moisture-resistant drywall, and foam insulation. These products don’t guarantee that you’ll be free from water damage, but they do help considerably. McGregor also urges homeowners to think beyond their floors and…