5 Storm Ready Fixes For Your Home Exterior

Severe storms put more of a test on the weakest areas of the house, while endangering the structurally strongest aspects like the roof or the foundations. Often, wind, rain, and flying debris cause damage that a few exterior improvements could prevent. However, preparation of the home’s exterior is also for protection after the storm has passed, reducing recovery costs and durations. Minor fixes early on lead to extremely disproportionate rewards later, when the weather takes a turn for the worse. Here are five low-maintenance, durably built, storm-ready exterior fixes for your home with long-term resilience and safety.

1. Trim Trees and Secure Loose Exterior Elements

Overgrown trees have typically been the major damage-causing factors on roofs, siding, and power lines during storms. Pendulous branches blown by the wind merely overhang your home. This gives little chance for strong gusts to damage your house and lessen the accumulation of rubbish on your roof and gutters. When trimming, begin by removing the dead branches.

Inspect your accessories outside the house, focusing on roof flashings, antennas, vents, and decorative trim. Check out the loose metal or plastic parts that fly off rooftops when you consider those attachments. Securing or replacing any weakened fasteners now can prevent water intrusion along with the expensive structural repairs that would come later.

2. Install Impact Rated Windows and Doors

Impact-rated windows and doors are designed to withstand driving debris and high winds. Even if the glass were hailed under a storm, the chance of sudden pressure changes within the home is limited for these materials. This is possible as the glass will remain intact with this protective shielding and thus prevents a roof from being blown off and the house from structural failure during extreme weather conditions.

To install impact windows and doors reliably, find reliable impact windows and doors installation services. Target those that comply with the prescribed anchoring and sealing procedures under such a renovation. Proper installation is, like the product itself, extremely important for future performance.

3. Check Openings, Siding, and Seals

There may be holes that are unsealed between the board and windows, ineffective, nonrenewable caulk, and broken siding, all of which serve as easy entry points for wind-driven rain. As you inspect your home, focus more on areas like joints around utility penetrations, windows, and doors.

Sealing those areas even hinders moisture ingress and prevents mold and damage in the house. Also, special emphasis should be paid to older siding materials, which have loosened over time. Strengthening or replacing bad areas will therefore give power to your home exterior against wind uplift.

4. Gutter Cleaning and Drainage Improvement

Heavy summer thunderstorms make basements fill with water that would otherwise run over the foundations or pour over the siding at the back end of shingles, draining from the roof. Roof gutters need to be free of debris in readiness to prepare the house for the load of rainwater runoff during storms.

Equally important is where the water located at the bottom of the downspout ends up. So, make sure the grounds slope away from your house, and extensions will lead rainwater away from the foundation a few feet to ground level. Such simple grading corrections can take significant risks for basement leaks and erosion.

5. Reinforced Garage Doors and Exterior Hardware

Garage doors tend to be the weakest place structurally in a house when there is a storm. Wind can bend or break the doors, allowing wind pressure to build up inside the house. A significant amount of structural support could be obtained by installing an “H-beam” or an alternate wind-rated model.

While doing these works in the garage, checking all external doors and fastenings throughout the house will be crucial. Significant hardware changes, such as replacing lightweight options with heavy-duty choices, help keep doors sealed under pressure. These enhancements will also elevate overall home security.

Endnote

It is best not to leave your home open to disaster by having a storm-ready plan and thinking of your home as one that could become very vulnerable under extreme conditions. Your home is fortified against wind, water, and debris by targeted fixes rather than repairs. Those improvements work together to provide safety against damage to everyone inside that specific enclosure.

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