Chapter 25 Further Reading: Gutters, Downspouts, and Drainage
Books
1. "Drainage Around Your Home" — USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service A practical, illustrated guide to residential site drainage from a federal agency with no product bias. Covers grading, surface drainage, French drains, and soil type effects on drainage behavior. Available free online through the NRCS website. Particularly useful for rural and suburban properties with natural drainage challenges.
2. "Renovation" — Michael Litchfield and Michael Maines (Taunton Press) The standard reference for comprehensive home renovation. The exterior chapters include detailed guidance on gutter installation, drainage plane design, and grading — written for informed homeowners as well as contractors. Litchfield's writing is clear and technically reliable. One of the most useful single-volume home improvement references available.
3. "The Complete Guide to Waterproofing Your Home" — Creative Publishing International Covers the full range of basement and crawlspace moisture management approaches from exterior grading through interior sump systems. While some sections are dated in product specifics, the diagnostic framework for identifying moisture sources is well-organized and useful.
Online Resources
4. Extension Service Publications — Land-Grant Universities Cooperative Extension Services at land-grant universities (Penn State Extension, University of Minnesota Extension, NC State Extension, etc.) publish free, research-based homeowner guides on site drainage, grading, and foundation moisture management. Search "[your state] cooperative extension drainage" for locally relevant guidance that accounts for your region's soil types and rainfall patterns.
5. This Old House — Gutter and Drainage Content (thisoldhouse.com) This Old House has produced extensive video and text content on gutter installation, maintenance, and drainage. The content is generally reliable and well-illustrated. Their video series on installing gutters and diagnosing drainage problems is particularly useful for visual learners.
6. Fine Homebuilding Magazine — Drainage and Moisture Content Fine Homebuilding's archive (fine homebuilding.com) contains numerous articles on drainage plane construction, site grading, and foundation moisture management written by building professionals. The technical depth is higher than most consumer-oriented sources. Subscription required for full archive access, but the investment is worth it for homeowners doing substantial projects.
Technical and Standards Resources
7. International Residential Code (IRC) — Chapter 4 (Foundation Drainage) IRC Chapter 4 covers required drainage provisions around foundations, including drain tile requirements, grading standards, and waterproofing of foundation walls. Understanding code minimums helps calibrate what "standard practice" means and where going beyond code is warranted.
8. FEMA Coastal Construction Manual — Site Drainage Sections While focused on coastal and flood-prone properties, FEMA's coastal construction guidance contains detailed information on site drainage management, French drain design, and surface water control that is applicable to any site with challenging drainage conditions. Available free at fema.gov.
9. ASTM Standards for Drainage Products ASTM International maintains standards for drainage pipe (ASTM F2648 for HDPE corrugated pipe; ASTM D3034 for PVC sewer and drain pipe) that establish minimum performance requirements. Knowing these standards helps evaluate contractor material specifications — "Schedule 40 PVC per ASTM D3034" is a more confident specification than just "PVC pipe."
Product Research Resources
10. Consumer Reports — Gutter Guard Product Testing Consumer Reports has tested gutter guard products in real-world conditions in multiple independent evaluations. Their results consistently show significant performance variation across products and are notably more reliable than manufacturer claims or sales literature. Subscription required.
11. Better Business Bureau (bbb.org) — Contractor Research Before hiring any drainage contractor — particularly for high-cost work like perimeter French drains or basement waterproofing systems — check BBB standing and complaint history. The BBB database is most useful for identifying patterns of complaints (repeated unresolved issues are a serious warning) rather than as a definitive quality measure.
12. National Association of Waterproofing and Structural Repair Contractors (nawsrc.org) NAWSRC is the professional association for basement waterproofing and foundation repair contractors. Their website provides consumer guidance on what to expect from a contractor assessment, what to include in a contract, and how to evaluate competing proposals for foundation moisture work. Relevant if your drainage issues have progressed to active basement moisture.