How to Protect your home from storm damage

10/20/2017 (Permalink)

Severe storms can happen throughout the year in areas all around the country. Whether it’s a hurricane, tornado, hailstorm, or another form of extreme weather, your home could experience significant water damage, flooding or destruction both inside and out. While you can’t control the weather, there are measures you can take to help minimize the potential damage storms could cause to your home. Some preparations, such as roof and tree inspections, are helpful not only when it comes to storms but are also good for general maintenance and upkeep. If you do experience significant damage and need help with storm cleanup, a restoration contractor can help repair your home, from water removal to rebuilding a wall that a tree knocked down.

Interior Areas of a Home

There are a number of places in a home that is more susceptible to storm damage than others, such as the roof, windows, and doors (including garage doors). Once you identify these areas, you can take measures to help protect and reinforce them, which will most likely reduce the damage and make the storm cleanup process easier. Consider hiring a professional to inspect these specific parts of your home, which will ensure that they are stable and in good shape, and most importantly can withstand the elements of most storms. While taking these precautions doesn’t guarantee your home and yard won’t endure some storm and water damage, they can certainly help minimalize the degree of damage.

WINDOWS/DOORS

Protecting your home’s openings is one of the most important steps you can take to defend against strong winds and heavy rain that can potentially compromise these entryways. Check doors for missing screws/bolts or loose hinges. Keep your windows intact with upgrades such as shutters, high-impact glass, and double-paned models to protect against storms. As an added bonus, these improvements can also reduce your energy costs because they’re environmentally friendly and help insulate your home.

Taping windows with masking or duct tape is more or less ineffective; however, applying a durable clear plastic film can help prevent glass shards from blowing into your home, in the event the window is broken by strong winds. If you have advance notice of a major storm system that’s approaching your area and you have time to take precautions, boarding up your doors and windows with plywood is an inexpensive and effective way to protect your home. In addition to plywood, panels are available in aluminum, steel, plastic and composite materials.

Consider pre-installing anchors around doors and windows to speed up the installation process, if you know your area experiences frequent storms and extreme weather. Installing a permanent shutter system—such as roll-up or accordion shutters—is an effective way to shield your windows from wind and debris. Plus, you can close them quickly before a storm arrives. There are even models for skylights, sliding glass doors and garage doors.

ROOF/ATTIC

Have your roof inspected by a professional to identify any problem areas or leaks that could lead to water damage in the event of a storm? You can reinforce your roof by having it retrofitted with certain types of brackets, bracing, clips or straps that can help make it stronger. Make your roof more wind-resistant by securing any loose shingles with a heavy-duty adhesive; if you have a roof made with tiles, fasten them with screws and wires instead of nails.

If you’re in the market for a brand new roof, consider purchasing an impact-resistant material that will stand up to extreme weather, reduce stormwater runoff, and require fewer repairs than other types of roofs that are easily affected by hail, wind and water damage.