The month of June means the end of summer, and this means that people will have to once again ready their houses as the rainy season brings potential residential damage. These can be as small as a leak or as big as flooding, and the bad part is if they recur throughout the season, they can worsen the condition of your home. Aside from that, the wind that sometimes accompanies rainfalls can also cause damage or danger if it picks up objects and fling it towards your property and your loved ones.
Follow these home improvement suggestions to make sure that your house will sustain as little damage as possible in the event of rain.
- Inspect your roof thoroughly and see if you find any punctures or fissures. If there are any missing shingles, replace them. Also, apply sealant to holes and take out parts of the roof that can’t be repaired and put in new parts.
- Since you’re already up on the roof, remember to check out your rain gutters as well, and see that things like foliage aren’t there as these can clog the gutters. Remember to check the drains when you get down to make sure there’s nothing blocking them.
- Check out your doors’ and windows’ caulking. Flaked and cracked caulking will allow moisture and leaks to seep in so be sure to reapply it.
- If you have big trees in the garden or the backyard, check for and cut down old branches that can break off and fall, causing injury or damage.
- Anything that can be blown away by strong winds should be locked up, including trash cans, bikes and garden tools.
- Put sand bags around areas of your home that are lower than ground level so that it won’t be filled with rain water.
- Windows, doors and other elements of the house that are made of wood can be damaged if they are always soaking up water, so you have to keep them protected with waterproof varnish.
- Apply concrete sealer to areas in the basement that are showing signs of leaks and moisture.
- Fix any part of the ceiling that show hints that water is leaking in, like staining and distortion.
- If your house & lot comes with a pool, heavy rains can make it overflow and run off to your garden or into your house, so lower its water level to half before it rains.
When you leave your home unprotected from rain, it can result not just to structural damage but to the development of mold. The key to ensuring your home’s well-being is in paying attention to present damage and fixing them before they worsen.
You may also read our blog post on Preparing for a Flood so you can have sufficient knowledge how to keep not only your home safe, but your family as well.