Storm & Flood Damage Recovery in Commerce City, CO

Close to the wall, yes, and it is one of the few near-universal pieces of advice along this range. These soils swell when wetted and the foundation was built assuming the backfill stays relatively dry, so irrigation beside the wall keeps that soil wet continuously rather than occasionally. Moving heads and drip lines back several feet, and extending downspouts well clear, costs almost nothing and does more than most structural work.

Backfill placed during construction consolidates over the first few years, and on a new house that is expected. What matters is the shape it settles into: a trough sloping back toward the wall collects roof runoff and delivers it straight to the foundation, which is exactly what this soil should not get. Topping up and regrading so the ground falls away is inexpensive and it is the single most useful thing to do.

Mainly through drainage rather than anything else. Long-standing industrial sites often have graded ground, fill, and drainage arrangements that predate the subdivisions around them, and those can route water in ways the current surface does not suggest. If a lot floods without an obvious cause, what is upstream of it and what that ground used to be are worth understanding before spending money on the house.