The vast majority of newer AZ homes are built on a slab so there's no crawlspace. No crawlspace means no worries about water getting under the house, no vapor barriers, no venting. It means that directing runoff rain water away from the foundation is not critical to the long term health of the structure. It doesn't rain that much here anyway, it being a desert.
When it does rain here, though, likely as not it'll be a downpour, a regular flash flood gully washer. Most homes here don't have gutters and downspouts; water just runs off the roof and continues on its merry way to its gully of choice, no problem. No problem, unless: a generous share of the roof's runoff water just happens to be channeled to a spot directly in front of the main entry. And that's the case at 400 Stallion Lane: any attempt to enter or leave the building (take your umbrella, Elvis) when it's raining will be rewarded with an impromptu shower. That's The Lemon.
The Aid
It rained last week and the entry shower was fully operational, bring your own soap and towel, please. Trish said, 'We should do something about that, divert the water somehow.' Duh! Why didn't I think of that? She went on to suggest a rain chain, a device that serves the same purpose as a downspout but is a quantum leap more attractive. Right on, Babe! But first, let's move the shower nozzle so the rain chain doesn't block half the entry.
So, it's off to Lowe's for gutter and brackets, and online rain chain shopping. Several websites offer rain chains of copper and aluminum. There's your basic, plain-Jane rain chain drain from Spain* and your more elaborate devices like strings of funnels, in various shapes and sizes. I opted for the hammered aluminum funnel, a clean, sleek design that elegantly and eloquently reflects the highly refined, yet subtly understated, tastes of the sophisticated homeowner (that would be me). Oh yeah!
Lemon Aid Pix
We like the way this little project turned out. It really was a little project but the reward seems not so little. I'm now qualified to act as design consultant on similar projects you may be considering. Consulting fees will be dependent on the scope of work, certainly affordable by anyone with a high 6-figure income.
* Mine came from India. But some of the others may be from Spain.
The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain, so installing a rain chain in Spain gives them hardly any gain, so mostly they abstain.
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