Our story

Hi there! Thanks for stopping by to learn a little more about DrainDome and how it came to be. Let me take you back about 13 years ago when my family and I moved into a beautiful home in a lovely neighborhood here in Virginia. Like many people, we thought, “This house is newer—what could possibly go wrong?” (Feel free to laugh here, because you know how that goes—every house has its quirks!)

We moved in during October, and if you’re familiar with Virginia, you know what that means: gorgeous oak trees doing what they do best—losing leaves. We spent those first weeks happily raking up leaves, only for the fall winds to scatter them right back across the yard. Classic, right?

One night after a particularly heavy rain, we came home from dinner to find water streaming across the basement floor. Confused, I checked outside and saw just a few leaves—four or five—covering the tiny 4-inch drain outside the basement door. That’s all it took to block the water, leaving it nowhere to go but straight under the door. Cue 3.5 hours of soaking up water, running fans, and wrangling a dehumidifier. Not exactly the welcome home I’d envisioned.

Fast forward a week, and it happened again. Despite my best efforts to clear all the leaves, two sneaky ones managed to cover the drain—and, once again, the water came in. Frustrated, I turned to my neighbors for advice. They shared all kinds of creative (and honestly, kind of wild) solutions. One even built a screen door over their drain—effective but made using the door impossible. Another tried a gutter insert, which I gave a shot. It worked…until it didn’t. Kids, dogs, and life in general had their way with it, and it quickly became more of a hassle than a fix.

After scouring hardware stores, online shops, and even the aisles of big box stores, I realized there wasn’t a real solution out there. But what I did discover was that plenty of other people were battling the same problem. That’s when inspiration struck.

I sketched an idea (on a piece of paper, naturally) and asked a friend who’s an engineer if he could create a 3D rendering. After lots of tinkering, printing, and testing—14 versions later—we finally landed on the DrainDome you see today. With a patent in hand, I started using it in my own home, then gave it to neighbors to try. And guess what? It worked beautifully, keeping our basements dry no matter how many leaves fell or how heavy the rain got.

So here we are! Whether it’s your basement, a neighbor’s, or a friend’s who’s dealing with the same soggy problem, DrainDome is here to help. Share our site, send a link, or gift one to someone you know who could use it. I promise it’s made with love, a lot of rainwater, and even more determination.

Stay dry, 

Karl