Snohomish, Washington Oct 1, 2026 (Issuewire.com) - The City of Snohomish doesn't describe its rainy season in vague terms. The city's own stormwater program states plainly that Snohomish receives a lot of rain each year, and that the resulting runoff travels along roads, through yards, and over roofs on its way to local waterways, according to RichCo LLC, a general contractor serving Monroe and Snohomish County.
That same water moving across roads and yards is moving across the outside of every house in its path. Whether it drains away or finds a way in usually comes down to a handful of specific spots, most of which are easy to check from the ground before the wettest months arrive.
A clogged gutter doesn't just overflow, it sends water straight down the side of the house instead of away from it. Downspouts should discharge water at least 5 feet from the foundation for a surface extension, and 10 feet or more if the discharge runs through a buried pipe. A downspout that empties right at the foundation, or one clogged enough to overflow at the gutter itself, undoes whatever the rest of the drainage is doing correctly.
Water follows grade before it follows anything else. The ground immediately around a foundation should visibly slope away from the house, not sit flat and not tilt toward it. A low spot that collects standing water after a normal rain, rather than draining, is worth addressing before winter rain turns an occasional puddle into a repeated soaking cycle against the foundation.
Exterior caulking around windows, doors, and trim breaks down over time, and a gap that looks minor in September can be a direct path for water once the rain becomes consistent rather than occasional. The same goes for loose trim and flashing anywhere a roof meets a wall, a chimney, or a dormer, these are the transition points where a small failure tends to show up first.
Deck and patio surfaces need somewhere for water to go once it lands. Standing water on a deck surface, or a patio that drains toward the house instead of away from it, points to a grading or slope problem rather than something a sealant alone will fix.
Some problems only become visible once moisture has already gotten past the exterior. Stains on interior walls or ceilings, trim that feels soft rather than solid, a musty smell in a specific room, or visible moisture in a crawlspace or basement are all signs worth checking before the season that makes them worse begins in earnest.
Every item on this list is easier to see, and easier to fix, in dry weather than during an active wet stretch. A downspout discharging too close to the foundation is an easy fix in September. The same problem discovered in January, after weeks of saturation, usually means dealing with an active moisture issue rather than a preventive one.
RichCo LLC handles the kind of exterior work this checklist points toward, home repairs, decks and patios, doors and windows, and general remodeling, across Monroe and Snohomish County.
RichCo LLC is a general contractor based in Snohomish, Washington, serving Monroe, Snohomish County, and the surrounding area. The company handles kitchen and bathroom remodels, home additions, decks and patios, fencing, painting, doors and windows, home repairs, and demolition services. Learn more at richcollc.net/contact-us
Media Contact
RichCo LLC richco.llc.pnw@gmail.com 425-866-1515 265 Cypress Ave, Snohomish, WA 98290 https://www.richcollc.net
