10 Steps to Protect Your Home from Storm Damage

Every spring, we here in the Midwest prep for storm season.

Year-to-year, the severity and frequency of bad weather is anyone’s guess. But, inevitably, a lot of homeowners kết thúc up dealing with property damage as a result of storms.

The most common type of property damage we see is roof and siding damage following heavy winds and/or hail.

And while you can’t control the weather, there’s still a lot you can vì thế to lớn protect your trang chủ and your family. Additionally, most of what we’ll discuss in this article will also help protect your neighbors’ homes and property!

Bonus points.

So, what are some quick and easy precautions you can take to lớn minimize property damage and expenses during storm season?

When it Comes to lớn Storm Damage, Basic Upkeep Goes A Long Way

1. Replace Missing or Damaged Shingles

If a shingle is damaged, it’s more likely to lớn break không tính tiền. If it’s missing, well then you’ve got a gap for wind to lớn get under and vì thế even more damage.

Note that when you’re installing or replacing shingles, they must be nailed properly — NOT above the nail line.

In terms of how roofing materials – shingles vs. metal – hold up to lớn hail, it doesn’t really matter. After a hailstorm, our crews will kết thúc up replacing just as many shingle roofs as metal ones.

2. Repair Loose Siding

The same rules as roofing apply to lớn siding: it’s important to lớn ensure your siding isn’t damaged.

3. Keep Your Gutters Clear

Make sure your gutters are free-flowing and your downspouts flow away from your foundation.

Water damage or flooding is one of the quickest ways to lớn devalue your trang chủ. So ensuring your gutters are clear is the first line of defense in helping water to lớn flow away from your trang chủ. Which leads to lớn another important preventative measure …

4. Ensure Water can Flow Away from Your Home

The grade of your lot should keep water flowing away from your trang chủ and into a ditch, drain, or some other proper retention area.

5. Keep Your Sump Pump in Working Order

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Before Spring rains start up, we suggest checking whether your sump pump is in working order. If you want to lớn feel extra-secure, having a backup sump pump is a sure-fire way to lớn prevent basement flooding.

6. Ensure Proper Sealing of Doors and Windows

Wind only needs a small opening to lớn get underneath something lượt thích a shingle or siding and rip it off. And in the sự kiện of tornadic winds, a small opening in your windows or doors could enlarge (read: break) and allow enough wind inside to lớn compromise your home’s roof.

7. Check for Loose Fence Posts

Wind will surprise you. Anything that’s not nailed down is a liability, and that includes fence posts, which are often forgotten or ignored in homeowner’s storm-prep.

Checking your fence’s footing is as easy as giving each post a strong shake to lớn kiểm tra for loose ones.

8. Regularly Trim Your Trees

Problem tree limbs can damage your trang chủ, a vehicle, or even your neighbor’s property. Regularly trimming the trees on your property is an excellent way to lớn protect your roof and windows.

9. Walk Around Your Property

A lot of people don’t have the time or skills to lớn kiểm tra and/or repair everything on their property before storm season kicks up. But, if you know a storm is coming, there are some very basic steps you can take to lớn minimize its impact.

Like identifying the items around your property that could become projectiles. That means lawn furniture, tools, flower pots, or other yard debris. Do yourself a favor and move those items to lớn a garage, a shed, or indoors.

10. Keep a Generator On Hand

A bad storm could potentially knock out power to lớn your trang chủ for a couple of hours — or days. Having a generator on standby could go a long way towards ensuring you don’t lose your food, or the livability of your trang chủ until power is restored.

Most Importantly

Don’t forget to lớn protect people.

Your trang chủ and the things inside are replaceable. Your family isn’t.

Have a storm safety plan in place, including a safe location to lớn go, lượt thích a basement or storm shelter, to lớn ride out the worst mother nature has to lớn offer.

Every year, storm season brings a lot of uncertainty, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can vì thế about it.

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