When homeowners think about installing a new patio or walkway, they usually picture the finished concrete—not what's happening underneath it. But on this project, one of the most important improvements wasn't the concrete at all. It was what we did with the home's downspouts. Instead of allowing rainwater to discharge next to the house, we rerouted the downspouts underground and extended them all the way to the edge of the yard. It's an upgrade most people will never notice,

When homeowners think about waterproofing their foundation, they're usually reacting to a problem—a damp basement, musty smell, water stains, or worse, standing water after a heavy rain. But the best time to waterproof a foundation isn't after water gets inside. It's before. On this project, the homeowners had concerns about moisture in their finished basement. Since we were already excavating to install a new concrete patio and walkway, it created the perfect opportunity to