How To Protect Your House From Flooding: A Complete Guide

If you live in a flood zone, or an area prone to flash flooding, you might be wondering: “How can I protect my home from flooding?”

Here at Lakeside, we understand the devastating consequences that flooding can wreak on your property. From thousands of pounds worth of flood damage to the emotional toll it can bring upon your family, flooding poses a wide range of risks and hazards.

At Lakeside Flood Solutions, we’ve spent over 35 years helping homeowners across the UK protect their properties from the effects of flooding.

This guide brings together everything we’ve learned in this time. By the end, you’ll know the best ways to protect your house from flooding, with robust methods that have been proven to work in real-life flooding scenarios.

The Threat of Flooding in the UK

In 2024, it was estimated that 6.3 million homes in the UK are at risk of flooding. Meanwhile, it is estimated that 13% of new homes built in the UK in the last decade are in a flood zone, representing 110,000 extra homes.

These are quite alarming figures, and they serve to underscore the ever-growing importance of effective flood defence measures here in the UK. With weather patterns becoming ever more unpredictable, flooding is becoming increasingly common, even in areas not previously considered at risk.

Even if you don’t live in a flood zone, surface water flooding—often caused by heavy rainfall when drainage systems become overwhelmed—can affect properties almost anywhere.

For many homeowners, this means that flooding is now a genuine risk which requires proactive intervention. The cost of repairing a flooded home can easily run into tens of thousands of pounds. Not to mention the emotional strain of being displaced from your home, and the potential impact on your property value and insurance premiums.

Despite these risks however, many households remain unprotected, as homeowners underestimate their risk factor.

How to Protect Your House from Flooding

Check If You Live in a Flood Zone

The first step to take if you are concerned that your house might need protection from flooding, is by checking to see if your property is in a flood zone. You can do this using The Environment Agency’s Flood Risk Map Checker tool.

Bear in mind however that you don’t have to live in a flood zone to be at risk of flooding. Flash floods can occur anywhere, even if you’re not located close to water sources like rivers.

Therefore, it’s always best to do your due diligence into the unique vulnerabilities of your area. You can do this by approaching your local council for advice, for example, asking if your area has experienced any historic flood events.

You can also sign up for flood alerts here, ensuring that you are kept fully informed of any developments.

Have a Flood Specialist Survey Your Property

Once you’ve established that your home could be at risk of flooding, the next step is to gain a professional understanding of how and where water might enter your property.

Every home is unique. Houses differ in their construction, ground levels, drainage systems and surrounding landscape which can all influence how floodwater behaves around your property. That’s why a professional flood survey is crucial for understanding your property’s unique risk level.

At Lakeside Flood Solutions, we offer a free, no-obligation flood survey for homeowners across the UK. Our highly experienced surveyors leverage their 35 years of industry experience to deliver a detailed and personalised evaluation of your property’s individual risk level.

This involves one of our trained experts visiting your property to assess potential routes of water ingress. We’ll evaluate the height and layout of your home entrances and identify any weak points that would allow water to enter.

We will then draw up our findings into a clear report that allows you to make an informed decision about the right protection strategy for your home.

We can also provide you with a bespoke set of product recommendations for your property. With a professional flood risk assessment from Lakeside, you’ll know exactly where your home stands, and how you can best protect your house from flooding.

Book a Free Site Survey for Your Property Today

Choose the Right Flood Protection Strategy for Your House

After your property has been evaluated, the next step is to consider what kind of flood protection strategy you will need for your home.

Depending on the vulnerabilities identified, this could be prioritising the protection of your doors and driveways, or it could be placing greater emphasis on your sewage and draining systems.

Regardless, each defence strategy needs be informed by the individual risks posed to your property. This is what makes a site survey so important when it comes to enacting an effective flood defence plan.

At Lakeside, we believe that a good flood defence strategy needs to address every single weakness of your property, i.e. every potential route of water ingress.

It is only by approaching flood protection as one holistic strategy that you can guarantee your property will be kept safe in the event of a flood. This will require a bespoke set of flood defence products that are tailored around the unique vulnerabilities of your property, as identified by the risk assessment.

This will ensure that there are no gaps in your strategy, and no gaps in your flood protection system that would lead to water seeping into your home.

In the flood defence industry, this holistic approach is known as Property Flood Resilience (PFR). This is a robust strategy that incorporates everything from drainage and sewage defence, to house entry points and air brick defence.

A PFR strategy typically incorporates all of the following:

House door and entrance protection
House wall, brick, and air vent protection
House window protection
House perimeter protection
Sewage and drainage system protection

This comprehensive approach ensures that all bases are covered, and that water has no way of breaching your property.

By addressing each of the vulnerabilities identified in your site survey, Lakeside can design you a fully tailored, all-in-one flood defence system that protects your home from every angle.

We can also recommend a bespoke set of flood defence products, each designed to address the specific access points and vulnerabilities identified by the risk assessment.

Book a Free Site Survey for Your Property

Invest in Flood Defence Products from a Reputable Supplier

Here at Lakeside, we are the UK’s principal manufacturer of flood defence products for houses. We can offer the bespoke design, manufacture, supply, and installation of flood defences that are tailor-made for your property, ensuring a perfect fit every time.

From demountable flood barriers and flood doors to air vent protection and drainage systems, each of our flood defence products has been engineered to prevent water ingress into your property. Proven to work in real life flood events, they offer a robust and reliable from of protection for residential properties.

Lakeside can supply you with a bespoke combination of any/ all of the following products:

Flood Barrier Systems: Robust, demountable barriers that can be quickly deployed in the event of a flood alert. Perfect for doors, driveways and other entrances.
Anti-Flood Doors (Composite and uPVC): permanent defence measures that double up as regular doors.
Anti-Flood Windows: Permanent installations that prevent water seepage through your property’s windows.
Flood Gates: Hinged flood barriers that can be deployed rapidly for robust protection for driveways, home entrances, garages and side passages.
Sewage System Defences: Backwater valves, non-return valves, sump and pump systems, toilet bungs and surface water pups for effective sewage system protection.
Brick Protection: Waterproof wall sealants for effective house brick and wall defence.
Anti-flood Air Bricks: protects your property from flooding whilst still functioning as a regular air brick.
Anti-flood Air Vent Covers: Covers that prevent floodwater from seeping into vents whilst sill maintaining airflow throughout your property.

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Flood Barriers

Lakeside’s flood barriers represent the most robust form of house flood protection available on the market. These barriers feature interlocking aluminium panels that form a watertight seal, preventing water seepage.

Our barriers act as a crucial first line of defence against surface floodwater, keeping everything dry from driveways, house entrances, garages and side passages.

At a time when the quality of flood barriers in the UK is considered low, our barriers offer a reliable and durable solution that will keep your property protected for years to come.

Advantages of our Flood Barriers:

Robust yet lightweight aluminium: Withstands forces of up to 7.92 tom. Yet is still lightweight, being easy to remove and store away.
Fast to deploy: No tools are required to set the barrier up, meaning it can be deployed quickly in the event of a flood alert.
High-quality builds: fully certified to new Bruitish Standard BS 851188.
A durable solution: Our barriers boast a design life of 50+ years.
Maintenance-free: Anodized finish means no upkeep.
Versatile application: Suitable for everything from doors and garages to driveways and other entrances.

Discover Our Flood Barrier Range

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Anti-Flood Doors

Lakeside Flood Solutions’ anti-flood doors provide robust protection for front doors, side doors and back doors. Designed to function as regular doors, these products are permanent installations that boast excellent flood resistance; they can withstand floodwater up to 600mm, delivering a permanent solution without compromising on aesthetics or functionality.

Key Benefits of our flood doors for houses:

Strong & Durable: Reinforced steel frame and high-strength construction ensure long-lasting performance.
Certified Quality: Fully tested and certified to British Standard 851188 for ultimate reliability.
Enhanced Security: High-quality locking systems and superior seals provide maximum safety.
Energy Efficient: “A Rated” doors (composite) offer excellent thermal performance, reducing energy bills.
Stylish & Customisable: Wide range of finishes, including woodgrain options, complements your home’s look.
Long-Term Peace of Mind: Built to last, providing reliable protection for years to come.

Discover Our Anti-Flood Door Range

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Flood Gates

Lakeside’s flood gates provide rapid, reliable protection for a wide range of property types. Designed for easy deployment and long-term durability, our gates offer a practical and effective defence against flooding.

Key advantages of our home flood gates:

Rapid Deployment: Quick to operate, often by a single person, ensuring fast protection when flood warnings arise.
Robust & Durable: Made from high-quality materials—aluminium 6061 +T5 or Accoya timber with reinforced steel frames—built to withstand flood pressure and last for decades.
Customisable Design: Bespoke manufacturing allows single or double leaf gates, powder-coated or stained finishes, and zero-threshold options for seamless integration.
Enhanced Security: Lockable systems provide peace of mind while preventing unauthorised access.
Low Maintenance: Durable materials and finishes reduce upkeep, giving you hassle-free protection.
Tested & Certified: Gates are rigorously tested (PAS 1188-1:2014 for timber, zero-leakage for aluminium) to provide reliable flood protection.
Ease of Use: Simple clamp or manual operation allows deployment in seconds without tools.

Installing flood defence products like the ones listed above are a vital proactive measure to protect your house from flooding. These products can make all the difference when it comes to safeguarding your assets and your family.

The initial upfront cost can deliver outstanding value over time, saving you thousands in potential flood damage repairs and the emotional burden of a house that has been breached by contaminated flood water.

If you live in a flood zone or flash-flood prone area, it is not worth the risk to your property or your family ignoring the dangers.

Get in contact with Lakeside today to get a bespoke quotation for your property, or to discuss the individual products that you are interested in.

Discover Our Flood Gate Range

Get a Free Quote Today

How to Install Flood Defence Products on your Property

Once you’ve decided on the flood products you’d like, the next step is to organise the installation.

At Lakeside, our installation process is designed to be efficient, reliable, and tailored to your property. Here’s how it works:

Preparation: The installation area is cleared and prepared, with foundations or ground strips laid to ensure stability and a watertight seal.
Installation of the System: Flood barriers, doors, or gates are carefully positioned, often using bespoke U-channels or reinforced posts. Most systems are lightweight yet robust, and designed for fast, tool-free deployment when needed.
Final Checks: Once installed, the system is checked to ensure a secure, watertight fit. Testing is carried out where necessary to confirm zero leakage and proper function under flood conditions.
Dismantling and Storage – After a flood event, barriers can be quickly removed, stored safely, and reused.

All installations are carried out by experienced Lakeside Operatives, trained in both flood defence and building standards, with full Health & Safety accreditation. Their expertise ensures your system is installed correctly, securely, and ready to protect your home for years to come.

Ongoing Maintenance Agreements

After your system is installed, we can offer ongoing maintenance agreements with you to keep your systems performing at their best for years to come, ensuring you get value for your money. Our ongoing maintenance service includes:

Operation & Maintenance Manual: Every system is supplied with a detailed manual, guiding you on proper use and care.
Manufacturer’s Warranty: Your installation comes with a warranty to provide added peace of mind.
Annual Maintenance Checks: After the initial warranty period, our expert technicians carry out an annual inspection to ensure your system remains fully operational.
Extended Coverage: Following each maintenance check, the warranty is automatically extended for another year, keeping your home continuously protected.

Regular maintenance helps ensure that your flood defences remain in peak condition, ready to deploy at a moment’s notice, so you can have confidence that your home and family are safeguarded against future flooding.

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Take Out Home Flood Insurance

Finally, while physical flood defences form the first line of defence, comprehensive home flood insurance is the final measure we could recommend to protect your house. This is because home insurance provides an essential safety net against financial loss, ensuring that you’re always covered for the unexpected.

Why Home Flood Insurance Matters:

Financial Protection: Flooding can cause thousands of pounds in property damage. Insurance helps cover the cost of repairs, replacements, and temporary accommodation.
Peace of Mind: Knowing that your home is covered allows you to focus on recovery rather than expenses in the event of a flood.
Support for Recovery: Many insurers now recognise proactive flood protection measures—such as barriers, flood doors, and gates—which may help you maintain or even reduce your premiums.

At Lakeside Flood Solutions, we work directly with leading UK home insurance providers to make the process simple, transparent, and cost-effective for homeowners. By providing site-specific surveys, flood risk reports, and professional installations, we help homeowners demonstrate that their properties are flood-resilient—often a key requirement for maintaining insurance cover or reducing premiums.

Contact Lakeside Today

How to Protect Your House from Flooding: Contact Lakeside Today

Protecting your home from flooding requires more than just a few sandbags. For homeowners who live in flood-prone areas, it demands a comprehensive, holistic strategy to stop water ingress from all potential entry points.

From robust flood barriers to anti-flood doors and reliable sewage defence, true flood protection means having every base covered. At Lakeside, we recognise that every property is unique, and so are each of our solutions.

When you choose Lakeside, you’re not just buying a product, you’re investing in:

Unmatched technical expertise from industry leaders.
Fully certified, British Standard-approved systems proven to perform in real flood events.
End-to-end service, from initial consultation through to after-sales care.
Long-term reliability through ongoing maintenance and extended warranties.

Flooding can have devastating consequences for you and your family, but with the right protection in place, it can be prevented.

Take control today and protect your home and your possessions for ultimate peace of mind. Contact Lakeside Flood Solutions today to book your free site survey, or to request a free quote for a flood defence solution bespoke to your property. Find out more about us. View our list of case studies here.

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Call us today: 01792 561117

Contact Lakeside Flood Solutions Today