Battling Mother Nature: How We Made Our House Flood-Proof

Summary

In this video, Max Maker recounts a flash flood that inundated his basement and shares the steps he took to prevent future damage. He details improvements like building a dam, raising ground levels, and installing pumps. The video also shows the transformation of his garden and driveway, with a focus on the growth of flowers and the completion of a brick pathway. Max's DIY efforts not only safeguard his home but also enhance its aesthetics.

Takeaways

• 🏠 Max's house experienced flash flooding that caused significant water damage.
• 🌧️ The flooding was due to a major rainstorm that overwhelmed the area's drainage system.
• 💧 Max had to use a sump pump to remove water from the basement.
• 🏗️ To prevent future flooding, Max made several home improvements, including building a dam and raising the ground level.
• 🚧 Max and his friends removed pavers to create a barrier and used steel and bricks to reinforce the structure.
• 🔨 Max learned the importance of using the right concrete mix for different construction tasks.
• 🌿 The garden benefited from the water, but measures were needed to prevent water from entering the house.
• 🛠️ Max installed an additional pump to ensure water drains quickly from the basement window area.
• 💧 Max built a sheet metal and hose system to direct water from the window to the sump pump.
• 🌱 Despite the flooding, the garden flourished, and Max is looking forward to seeing it in full bloom next year.

Q & A

What prompted the improvements Max Maker made to his house?

The improvements were prompted by a flash flood that caused significant water damage, especially in the basement, after a major rainstorm.

How did the water enter Max Maker's house during the flood?

The water entered through the only basement window, which was vulnerable during the flood because the drainage system was insufficient to handle the volume of water.

What measures did Max Maker take to prevent future flooding in the basement?

Max installed concrete barriers, raised the ground level around the basement window, improved drainage, and added an extra sump pump to handle the excess water.

What solution did Max implement to prevent water from entering the basement window?

Max created a concrete form around the window to redirect water away, preventing it from pooling and flowing into the basement.

Why was it important for Max to keep the basement window accessible despite the flooding risk?

The basement window is essential for ventilation, so it couldn’t simply be blocked off, necessitating other protective measures like raising the ground level and installing a concrete barrier.

What materials did Max use to build the flood defenses around the house?

Max used concrete, crushed concrete as underlayment, steel for border walls, and polymer sand to ensure stability. He also used steel and wood chips to create additional barriers.

How did Max ensure the dam he built would be effective in redirecting water?

Max used a laser level to mark the height of the dam, ensuring it was 20 cm higher than before, giving it a sufficient margin to redirect water away from the property.

What role did the sump pump play in Max’s flood prevention system?

The sump pump was used to pump out any water that made it into the basement, helping to prevent flooding by quickly removing water from the area.

How did Max incorporate welding into his flood prevention project?

Max welded a sheet metal structure to redirect water from the window well directly to the sump pump, improving the drainage system and preventing water from pooling in storage areas.

What additional landscaping improvements did Max make after the flood defenses were built?

Max improved the driveway by redoing the pavers, applying polymer sand, and adding wood chips to prevent weed growth. He also showcased how the garden flourished after completing these tasks.

Outlines

00:00

🌪️ Flash Flooding and Home Improvements

Max, the host, starts by sharing his experience with a flash flood that unexpectedly inundated his street and basement. He describes the overwhelming rush of water from a hill and the challenges it posed to his 12-year-old house. Despite the house's usual resilience to rain, the sheer volume of water was too much. Max details his efforts to manage the water, including using a basement pump he had recently installed. He also outlines the need for improvements to prevent future flooding, such as building a dam and raising the ground level around the house.

05:02

🏗️ Constructing a Flood Defense System

In this section, Max discusses the steps he took to fortify his home against future floods. He explains the process of building a dam to divert water flow around the property, using crushed concrete for the base and steel for border walls to match the house's aesthetic. He also talks about the importance of proper water drainage and the installation of additional pumps to manage water levels. Max shares his learning experience in concrete mixing, form building, and the use of polymer sand to ensure the dam's durability against rainwater. The summary highlights his hands-on approach to home improvement and his commitment to flood prevention.

10:02

🌼 Garden Growth and Final Touches

Max concludes the video by showcasing the garden's transformation since the flood, highlighting the growth of plants and the aesthetic appeal of the newly built driveway. He reflects on the successful implementation of flood defense measures and the positive impact on the garden's appearance. Max also mentions the installation of a sheet metal and hose system to direct water away from the basement window directly to the sump pump, ensuring efficient water management. The video ends with a call to action for viewers to subscribe to his channel for more content, and he thanks them for watching.

Keywords

💡Flash Flooding

Flash flooding refers to a rapid and extreme increase in water levels in low-lying areas due to intense rainfall or other causes. In the context of the video, flash flooding is the central problem that Max Maker addresses. He describes how his entire street was flooded, causing water to rush into his basement. This event necessitates the subsequent improvements to the house to prevent future damage.

💡Improvements

Improvements in this video refer to the various modifications and enhancements Max Maker makes to his house to prevent future flooding. These include building dams, raising levels, and installing pumps. The term encapsulates the proactive measures taken to mitigate the risk of water damage, showcasing a response to the initial flooding incident.

💡Basement

A basement is a part of a building that extends below ground level. In the video, the basement is where the water from the flash flood entered the house, causing significant damage. The basement window, in particular, is highlighted as the entry point for the water, making it a focal point for the improvements Max undertakes.

💡Concrete

Concrete is a composite construction material made from a mixture of cement, sand, gravel, and water. In the video, Max uses concrete to build forms and dams to divert water flow and prevent it from entering his basement. Concrete's strength and durability make it an ideal material for the flood defense structures he constructs.

💡Dam

A dam in this context is a barrier constructed to block or control the flow of water. Max builds a dam to divert the water flow away from his house. The term is used to describe the physical structure that is part of his flood prevention strategy, illustrating a practical application of civil engineering to solve a real-world problem.

💡Water Flow

Water flow refers to the movement of water from one location to another. In the video, controlling the water flow is critical to preventing future flooding. Max observes the natural flow of water during the flood and implements measures to redirect it away from his property, demonstrating an understanding of hydrology and its application.

💡Sump Pump

A sump pump is a device used to remove accumulated water from areas such as basements, where water tends to collect. Max installs a sump pump to manage the water that entered his basement during the flood. The sump pump is a key component in his strategy to remove water quickly and efficiently, preventing long-term damage.

💡Ventilation

Ventilation refers to the process of providing fresh air by circulating it or removing stale air. In the video, Max mentions the need for ventilation through the basement window, which cannot be blocked despite the risk of water ingress. This highlights the balance between ensuring the house is well-ventilated and protecting it from water damage.

💡Extreme Weather Events

Extreme weather events are severe meteorological occurrences that can cause significant damage. The video references the increasing frequency of such events, which has prompted Max to prepare his house against future flooding. This term underscores the broader environmental context in which the flood occurred and the need for robust home protection measures.

💡Polymer Sand

Polymer sand is a type of sand mixed with a binding agent that hardens when wet, used in paving to lock bricks or stones in place. Max uses polymer sand in his project to ensure that the sand does not wash away during rain, maintaining the structural integrity of the dam he builds. This choice reflects his consideration of long-term durability and weather resistance.

💡Compactor

A compactor is a machine used to compress materials, often soil or gravel, to create a solid base. In the video, Max rents a compactor to level the bricks after laying them, ensuring a smooth and even surface. The use of a compactor illustrates the importance of proper equipment in achieving a professional finish for his flood defense project.

Highlights

Max Maker experienced flash flooding that caused water to flood his entire street and basement.

The house, despite being 12 years old, was not designed to handle the volume of water from the flash flood.

Max had to shovel water into a basement pump he had installed the previous year to prevent further damage.

He realized the need to improve the house's flood defenses to prevent future damage.

Max constructed a concrete form to raise the level of the area where water overflowed and entered the basement.

He used styrofoam to create a form for the concrete, which was then filled with a wet mix to ensure it flowed into cavities properly.

A dam was built to divert the main water flow and prevent water from flowing into the building.

Max and his friends removed pavers to prepare for the construction of the dam, showcasing efficient teamwork.

Crushed concrete was used as an underlayment for the dam, demonstrating resourcefulness in repurposing materials.

Steel was chosen for the dam's border walls to match the house's aesthetic and provide durability.

Max installed bolts as anchors into the concrete to secure the dam and prevent it from being dislodged.

He created a channel and border walls with bricks to direct water away from the property effectively.

A polymer sand was used to ensure the dam's stability and prevent erosion, even during heavy rain.

Max added an additional pump to manage water that could potentially fill up behind the basement window.

He built a sheet metal channel to direct water from the window straight into the sump pump, preventing internal flooding.

The garden and driveway were restored and improved after the flood, with plants blooming and grass growing over the area.

Max emphasized the importance of being prepared for extreme weather events and reducing the risk of property damage.

The video serves as a practical guide for viewers on how to improve their homes against flash flooding.

Transcripts

hi everybody my name is Max maker and I

wanted to give you an update about the

driveway and how the flowers have grown

in but there's a major event that got

into the way and that is flash flooding

somehow on one day the entire Street

flooded and went all into our basement

so this video is about all the

improvements I made to the house to stop

this Blood damage from ever happening

again so stay tuned for that this is how

it started there was a major rainstorm

and I was just casually filming when I

suddenly noticed that there's a rush of

water coming from the hill rushing down

the street and onto our property so this

was the big problem our house is 12

years old and it can handle any rain

really well but this was just too much

and it wasn't even our rain water I

never seen something like this before

[Music]

City water comes over there

I tried to block it as best as I can but

it's just too much

oh

just because of this stupid little area

we need to build some kind of dam here

this area is nice and dry

but over here

because this little area

here the water flows down

and then overflows and then here's the

Gully there is a big drain here and a

big one over there but it's not enough a

lot of the water you just saw found its

way into the house through the only

basement window that we have and I spent

the night shoveling all this water into

the basement pump from where it got

pumped outside I just installed this as

an off chance I might use it last year

and I'm so lucky I did

so this is where the water came over

and this is you just saw how it was here

and here it's all downhill it can just

flow into the river flow through the

garden I don't care uh it can just free

flow it's just that it went over there

and in there instead of going around we

just have to divert the water and then

we'll be fine but at least the garden

looks really really nice

the next morning I continued with the

cleanup and now it was time to clean out

all the water from the Elevator Shaft so

put a steel rod in there and the vacuum

pulls out all the water and from the

vacuum it flows here into the sump pump

to get rid of these 900 liters of water

the pump took 13 minutes

this was filmed while the water was

still rushing in and this is the only

basement window we have and we need it

for ventilation we cannot just block it

off so we need to make sure water can't

come through here again over there was

the water

and this is pretty much ground level so

we need to make this higher first I need

to remove this

and I hope I can reach these screws in

there

I had to climb inside

it's really claustrophobic I hope I

connected from this side once I've got

the screw loose don't think any of this

is waterproof anyway

so we probably have to pull the concrete

all the way to down here this is not for

standing water this is just for

flesh water

it doesn't need to be perfectly

waterproof just so the big currents flow

past and

this is a nice perspective

so I went to the workshop and built this

concrete form out of some old scraps

that I had lying around and then it was

time to fill it up with concrete I made

sure there's some styrofoam here at the

top in the inside so we have a little

latch for the old grate so it can go

back in there and then we mix up some

concrete the first mix was a little too

wet so we split it up into two buckets

and we made this mix super wet so it can

flow into these cavities really nicely

if it's too dry it wouldn't flow

properly and it would just be a hassle

this way it's not as strong as it could

be but this is not really structural

concrete anyway it's really just to keep

the main current of water out of the

basement we've vibrated the forms a

little bit with just a hammer drill and

that really seemed to do the trick I

don't do a lot of concrete work but this

turned out really really nicely apart

from this defect right here I just

demolded it a little too early it was

still soft but I couldn't wait and the

foam came out really easily so I think

the foam is a really great way to to

build these forms with and the great

still fits so I'm really happy with that

that is one part of the flood defenses

done on to the next one and that is

diverting the main water flow so we need

to build some kind of dam here raise up

this level a bit so the water can just

flow around the building all the way to

over here from where it's downhill again

I wasn't sure how high this Dam has to

be so I took a laser level at night and

just made some marks to where I think it

would be appropriate so this is about 20

centimeters higher than it was before so

I think we have a really good margin of

error in there especially since the last

12 years we didn't have this problem

this is the first time this happened so

my buddies and I we removed all these

pavers here and it was a really easy

work this took about 10 minutes only and

we stacked them up and we stacked them

up like this so they're easy to grab

again because we're going to put them

straight back down again so we need to

build a dam right here and we want it to

connect to the existing pavement so the

dam kinda has to be here in the middle

and we're using crushed concrete as a

underlayment so that's just recycle

concrete and we kind of model it so the

dam would be in the middle and for the

sides we still need some kind of Border

walls so we're using steel again because

I really like working with steel and I

think that's the only stuff that really

goes well with the red bricks because

this will get red eventually and

concrete bottles they would just be too

prominent it wouldn't be fitting at

least not for this house

we drill some holes and then put some

bolts in there and these will act as

anchors into the concrete so you can't

just pull this back out again then we

make some concrete and pour it in there

this mix is definitely too wet we're

still learning here it's quite difficult

to judge how much water you need to put

in there it's always less

we installed two of these pieces of

Steel and they are perfectly level to

each other and that gave us the highest

point of the dam so that's this line

right here so this new pavement has to

gently slope upwards to the top and then

gently slope down once again so we have

nice transitions to the existing

pavement to make sure everything stays

straight I pulled some strings dug these

little channels and then I concreted in

the Border walls this time not with

steel but with bricks and for that I had

to mix some concrete and this has to be

quite a dry mix so the bricks have good

support and they don't just float away

while the concrete is setting so I just

followed the red lines as guide marks

and made sure that all of these bricks

are touching just about touching the red

lines and that way everything is super

nice and straight oftentimes I have to

remove a brick remove some more concrete

underneath and put it back in but its

overall is pretty easy you just have to

do a few of them and then you get a hang

of it did it on both sides and all the

way to the ends just at the very end I

had to do some cuts and this was on a

Sunday so I can't make any noise on

Sundays and the next day was super super

rainy

so this was some heavy rain but it

wasn't really a thunderstorm rain and

you can see the water flows around the

property

um and then it's fine it just changes

the size of the road and then continues

down the hill and nobody is bothered by

this it just flows into the river and

the plan with the new damage that it

continues flowing around this corner and

not getting onto our property there is a

risk that it could go through the flower

bed so we're also installing a dam made

out of Steel in there and this will

blend in really nicely because it's just

the color of the wood chips anyway and

this is about five meters long and 30

centimeters high so it's a super high

wall I don't think the water will ever

go through here and this won't rust away

either we concreted it in filled it back

up with the wood chips and now we have a

really nice barrier and it's just

controlling the flow of the water really

we can't stop the water we can't make

this water tight but as long as it

rushes around the property we will be

fine another two days later I started

laying down these bricks and it was

still raining that day but I wanted to

get this finished and my buddies only

had time on that day so we really pulled

through in the rain and here at the top

we had to make the miter so we marked

this with some spray paint we just put

these straight edges down and that gave

us a really good Mark on all of the

bricks and where we had to cut them so I

just scored them with an angle grinder

and then gave them a whack and that

broke them off very cleanly and that's

super easy to do I didn't want to rent a

big sew again like I did in January and

the miter came out pretty well as long

as the angle on the bricks is always

consistent you cannot really get this

wrong these bricks are really forgiving

you can just wiggle them around a bit

and it will look fine at the end

I had to wait a few days for the weather

to clear up because this is a polymer

sand that is water activated so I torch

all of the surfaces to get rid of any

residual moisture and then I could apply

the sand so this sand is mixed with some

kind of glue and once you wet the glue

it gets sticky and that forms kind of a

chewing gum like texture so I just

brushed everything in made for sure

everything is topped up and at this

stage the bricks are really uneven some

are sticking out more than the others

but we're changing that with the

compactor I got this from the hardware

store and unloaded it with my little

forklift that's just an amazing tool to

have and then I compacted it for about

15 minutes back and forth all the time

and had really nicely evened everything

out but I also had to fix some of the

bricks that moved out of place but I

just pushed them back in and put some

more sand in there and after that I was

done with that I had to remove the

residual sand from the top with a leaf

blower because when you miss the polymer

for the first time it starts to harden

and if there's any polymer sand on top

of the bricks it will form a layer of

sand on top and it doesn't look right I

kept watering this about every two hours

so I had enough time to go back to the

hardware store to return the compactor

and when I came back I watered it some

more all the way to the evening and this

is how it looks like afterwards it looks

super super nice and here you can see

how even these bricks are now they're

just one plane and it's really Pleasant

to walk over them and I specifically

wanted to use this polymer sand because

it doesn't get washed away when it's

raining because after all this is a dam

so it has slopes on both sides so while

I was in the hardware store I also got

one of these bags of wood bark and that

looked nice and it also prevents the

weeds from growing so now we have a fun

little obstacle that also prevents the

property from flooding

the pathway looks amazing now and we had

to redo this anyway because it wasn't

that well built to begin with but we're

not done there yet we're to flood

defenses all the water came in through

this window and behind the window there

is kind of an volume there of water

where the water can fill up but if it

doesn't drain fast enough we added

another pump to pump it back out it

looks like we're getting more and more

of these extreme weather events so I

really want to prepare the house so

something like this cannot happen again

and I cannot mitigate all the risk but I

think adding all these pumps and doing

all these small measures will ultimately

just lower the risk so that's what I'm

going for here another thing I noticed

that evening is if the water comes in

here before it can go around into the

sump pump which is behind this door from

where it gets pumped out automatically

so that is fine and we have it here

because this is where the main water

line comes in before it goes in there it

will go into these storage areas and

flood this whole area and we really

don't want that so we need a way to get

it from the window straight to down

there so so I'm building this

will be underneath the window it's just

some sheet metal and then we have an

adapter here to attach a hose to it and

the hose will go straight into the sump

pump and with every project I'm learning

a little bit more about welding and one

of you guys recommend to get one of

these glass cups and it's much easier to

see what you're welding doesn't look

that great but with the grinder you can

just grind it off and it's waterproof so

this is good enough for me I'm cutting

off the stainless steel pipe with a pipe

cutter a really cool tool to have and of

course I also need a hole in the side of

the sheet metal and I'm using these

punches for that I've got one of each

size and you need to drill a pilot hole

then feed this bolt through and then you

really cinch this down and you need a

big wrench for this or even better an

impact gun so I'm using this big Metabo

impact gun that I have and this is

really a lot of force required to cut

this two millimeter steel but it barely

does it and you end up with a beautiful

hole and it's also not as dangerous as

using a step drill bit because you know

this is a bit calls or drilling it with

a hand drill is pretty hard then I

welded this on and here I had a problem

some of the welds were really nice but

then in the next clip you see it was

almost like fireworks going on I don't

know what happened there but I straight

away drilled a hole into the steel but I

patched it back up you just have to go

slowly and work in increments make sure

you don't uh totally melt through the

steel and after that I did a little bit

of grinding and I used some filler to

fill everything up so it looks nice it

will be painted anyway so it's nicer if

you don't see my Wells

and I wouldn't do structural Wells yet

I'm doing just cosmetic stuff like this

but it's good practice and good fun

and to put this on the wall I had to use

this little angle adapter for the drill

there wasn't enough space otherwise and

I'm going to this up so now all the

water can just drain in there and go

straight into the sump pump

so with that the flood defenses are done

everything looks better than before and

it will be better than before and here's

the update about the driveway this was

why we're building it uh and this is

straight after we're finished building

it so in around March and after that it

grew in really nicely the fine here in

the middle looks amazing it bloomed very

early and in stages uh the plants were

still really small as you see here I had

watered quite a bit and that care really

paid out it looked absolutely beautiful

and I can't wait for next year when

everything is blooming this is the back

of the garden back in February and this

is how it looks like now everything is

grown over with grass and it's really

nice so thanks for watching this rather

unusual video but it had to be done I

thought it would be interesting to share

with you if you found this interesting

as well please subscribe to the channel

that really helps me out making future

videos and my name is Max maker I make

all kinds of stuff and I want to thank

you for watching bye bye