Here at Sunset Ridge Exteriors, we want to ensure you are taking the proper steps to ensure the protection of your home during storm season. Every year our storms are unpredictable so it is important to make sure you understand these steps and understand the importance of each to prevent any storm damage to your home. Below are five steps to keep in mind when thinking about protecting your home against these severe and unpredictable storms.
1. Keep Your Gutters Clear
Ensuring that your gutters are free-flowing and your downspouts flow away from your foundation is critical to protecting your home during heavy rain and intense storms.
Water damage or flooding is one of the quickest ways to devalue your home. Therefore, ensuring your gutters are clear is the first line of defense in helping water to flow away from your home and your foundation.
2. Replace Missing, Loose or Damaged Shingles/Siding
If a shingle becomes damaged, it is more likely to break free. If the shingle is actually missing, then this could make for the wind to cause damage and or heavy rains to cause a leak. The same rules as shingles apply to siding: it is important to ensure your siding isn’t damaged, as storms can cause real damage to the structure of your home.
3. Regularly Trim Your Trees
Low-hanging or loose limbs can damage your home, a vehicle or other important personal property. With severe storms comes intense winds making this the perfect time for a tree branch to break loose. Regularly trimming the trees on your property is a great way to ensure the protection of your home’s roof and windows.
4. Ensure Proper Sealing of Doors and Windows
You may think that the small opening in your door or window is not an issue. However, wind only needs a small opening to get underneath something like shingle or siding to do extensive damage. Ensuring that your doors and windows are properly sealed will help protect your home against any intense winds that come with storms and rain.
5. Keep Your Sump Pump in Working Order
Ensuring that your Sump Pump is in working order will help defend against heavy rains that could potentially flood your home. Checking your Sump Pump regularly and perhaps having a back up is a definite way to prevent basement flooding.
