Water is pooling against my foundation — is that a gutter problem?

What gutter installation companies need to publish

Foundation water is expensive and frightening, and often the cause is a downspout discharging three feet from the wall — a cheap fix presented as a catastrophe by other trades.

How customers actually ask it

The same intent arrives in wording your page probably does not use. All of these mean the same thing:

“Water is pooling against my foundation — is that a gutter problem?”
“basement leaks when it rains”
“downspout too close to the house”
“water in the crawlspace after rain”

What a complete answer contains

For gutter installation companies specifically, an answer is only complete when it covers all 5:

1
The first thing to check: where the downspouts actually discharge, and the minimum distance from the wall
2
Grading — that soil must slope away from the foundation, and the rough fall over the first stretch
3
The signs pointing at gutter capacity rather than placement: overflow at the same spot every storm
4
When it is genuinely beyond gutters — a failed drain tile or a hydrostatic problem needing a waterproofing contractor
5
That a downspout extension is the cheapest diagnostic step and can be done before booking anything

A worked example

Illustrative — not a real business

Start with the downspouts. If they dump within a few feet of the wall, that is almost certainly your answer — water should discharge at least six feet out, further on clay soil. Next, check the grade: the ground should fall about six inches over the first ten feet away from the house. If the gutters overflow at the same corner in every heavy storm, that is a capacity or blockage issue and we can fix it. If discharge and grading are both right and water still comes in, the problem is below ground and you need a waterproofing contractor, not us — we will tell you that rather than sell you gutters.

Which page should own it

Drainage and foundation water page

What silence costs

This search is made by frightened homeowners, and honesty about when it is not a gutter job wins the jobs where it is.

Does your site answer this already?

Point RubyRep at your website and ask it this exact question. If it cannot answer, neither can your customers.