4 Ways You Can Improve Your Home for Severe Weather
Severe weather causes significant damage to properties and homes all over the world every winter season. You need to be sure that you don’t have to put in an expensive homeowner’s claim for items that you could have prevented from being damaged prior to bad weather landing at your door. Severe weather can often be predicted, so having the right fail-safes in place as a property owner is key.
If you have never had to think about severe weather due to the area of the country that you live in, this guide can help you to be ready for challenging weather. If you already deal with challenging weather each year, you might find some fresh tips and tricks to help you to keep your property safe and secure even when Mother Nature is at her worst.
Ways to Protect Your Home From Severe Weather
1. Install a Trench Drain System
Drainage is key when it comes to keeping your home in good condition during and after tough weather. A trench drain system that is properly installed will help you to manage water runoff that might otherwise flood basements, wash away landscaping, or damage roadways and oaths.
Trench drains come in many styles and designs and can be protected with grates that keep feet and debris from being caught in the drains while still allowing water to flow right into the drain and away from your home. Your trench drain system can be connected to your gutter setup as well, to ensure that your roof and foundation are not impacted by standing water that might result from heavy rains or heavy snowfall.
Trench drain systems are a must for any kind of home, even if you only get rain a few times a year. You will find that there are few replacements for trench drainage when it comes to handling water runoff on your property, and you will want to consider this a first line of defense against water damage each year.
2. Improve Your Gutters
Your gutters are one of the main frontline defenses that your home has against water damage. Without properly functioning gutters, your roof could be undermined, and you could deal with flooding around the foundation and in the basement of your home. Black mold and problems with structural support are also common for homes that have improper gutters.
You can improve and replace your gutters if they are damaged or are not adequately removing water runoff from your roof. You should also consider looking at the connections with the overall drainage solutions on your property. Gutters that simply run off the side of the house without directing water runoff to the sewer are not doing you much good. You will almost certainly need to provide your gutters with annual maintenance each year as well. Be sure that you have a gutter expert or someone who is comfortable on a ladder lined up to check out the health and cleanliness of your gutters each year before stormy weather arrives.
3. Storm Shutters
In places that get severe wind each year, storm shutters are almost a requirement. There is nothing worse than a broken window during a storm and broken windows are also expensive to replace. You can prevent this kind of damage to your home by installing storm shutters. Even if you only have a few severe weather events each year, you might save thousands of dollars in home repairs due to your storm shutters.
Storm shutters can be made to be very attractive these days, so you will not need to worry about them becoming an eyesore on your property. Most storm shutters are permanent and can be simply folded back and out of the way until they are needed. New models of these items can typically be deployed at the click of a button, which is very convenient and easy.
Investing in protection for the parts of your house that are easily broken during tough weather is important. There is no reason to allow your home to be damaged if you can prevent it, and storm shutters can do so much to keep your home in good shape, even during tough weather.
4. Maintain Trees and Bushes
Many people are not aware that the trees and bushes that surround their home can damage it severely during a storm. If your trees are touching your roof or you have large shrubs that are in contact with your home, you need to make sure that you attend to these issues. These plants can cause major damage to your home during a severe storm.
Trees and shrubs can also drop limbs and branches that are harmless during times when the weather is nice, but which can become projectiles that are hurled against your home or your vehicles and outbuildings when there is tough weather going on. Be sure that you take care of your yard to prevent issues caused solely by your landscaping during a tough storm.
Preventing Damage to Your Home During Tough Weather Can Be Easy
If you have been struggling with storm damage each year, or you have just moved into an area that has tough weather each year, you need to be sure that you use these tips and tricks to improve your severe weather protection plans. Most areas of the world only have challenging weather a few times a year, but these tips will still prevent major damage to your home.
Having proper drainage, making sure that you have storm shutters for your windows, and taking the time to care for your landscaping can all add up to a really effective severe weather prevention protocol. Be sure that you are prepared for tough weather so that you are not left with tons of repairs and a house that you can’t live in due to damage and flooding that could have been prevented. The more prepared you are for tough weather, the better off you will be when it comes to your home’s safety during challenging weather.
