5 Ways to Protect Your Home Against the Extremities

You’ve paid a lot of money into your home over the years, so the last thing you want is extreme weather coming along and wrecking everything you’ve built. Unfortunately, you never quite know when or where a storm is going to hit — Mother Nature has a mind of her own!

You might not be able to deter extreme weather, but you can protect your home against it. By putting the following advice into practice, you’ll be able to prepare your home for the worst-case scenario. As a result, you, your loved ones, and your home will remain a lot safer.

To find five ways you can protect your home against Mother Nature’s harshest extremities, be sure to read on.

Tend to your roof

Your roof is the only thing that stands between you and the extremities that (quite literally) rain down on you from above. It’s important, then, that you tend to this all-important barrier and make it is as strong as it can possibly be.

If this means completely starting again and having a whole new roof fitted, then so be it. Being battered by the weather every day won’t have done your roof any favors, and it will more than likely be showing at least a few signs of wear and tear. If you feel that your roof has been worn down to the point where it won’t be able to survive the onslaught of extremely heavy rain or snow, then you should have a residential roofing company construct you a new roof right away. Signature Roofing are one such company that you could turn to in this instance. They offer a host of roof maintenance and fortification services, which means they’ll have no constructing you a new one.

Once your roof has been fortified, you want to keep it that way. To ensure that your roof remains strong for years to come, you should:

• Avoid using snow removal chemicals on it
• Never subject it to open flames
• Keep your gutters clean
• Install a heat cable
• Prevent heavy snow pack using a flexible rake
• Check your roof tiles regularly and secure them if needs be

Keep floodwater at bay

If you live close to a body of water, you need to ensure that your home is capable of keeping floodwater at bay. If it isn’t and Mother Nature does decide to send a flood your way, your home’s foundations could be severely damaged and your worldly belongings will more than likely be wreaked.

Here’s everything you must do to protect your home against servers flooding:

• Fit purpose-built flood boards onto your doors
• Raise your door thresholds
• Make sure your floors are sealed with tanking
• Cover up your air and ventilation bricks with specially-designed covers
• Varnish your skirting boards
• Fit a water pump in your basement
• Raise your electrical (sockets, fuse boxes, wiring, etc.) so that they are at least 1.5 meters above your floor
• Ensure that your kitchen appliances are raised on plinths

Don’t forget the backyard

Your backyard will feel the full force of whatever extreme weather comes your way, which is why you cannot afford to forget about it in this instance. To ensure that your backyard doesn’t get wreaked or cause you any unnecessary problems when stormy weather does decide to descend upon it, you must:

• Cut back any branches that might pose a risk if they fall

1. Secure any loose fittings (fences, garden furniture, tools, ladders, etc.) to ensure that they are don’t get sent hurtling towards your property by the wind

Protection against heatwaves

Heatwaves don’t just have a detrimental effect on humans and wildlife — they affect buildings, too. If you’re to ensure that soaring temperatures aren’t afforded the opportunity to impact your humble abode, it’s essential that you put the following advice into practice sooner rather than later:

Insulate your attic

If properly insulated, your attic will help to fend off heat when the temperatures soar. Whether you blow it in or insulate it in rolls, taking this form of action will help you to regulate the temperature within your home while you are in the midst of a heatwave.

Caulk your windows

Hot air will pass through your windows unabridged if they aren’t properly sealed with caulk. Should you ever be issued with a heatwave warning, inspecting your windows for instances of wear and tear should be one of the first tasks that you undertake.

Install an automated thermostat

An automated or programmable thermostat will allow you to regulate the temperature in your home, and it will help you to save money as you do. The extra cash that you put aside in this instance can then be used to stock up on ice-popsicles!

Fit an AC unit

Of course, the best thing that you can do when you are in the midst of a heatwave is to fill your home with cool air. Fitting an optimized AC unit will allow you to do just that.

Protection against extreme cold weather

Extreme cold weather can be just as dangerous as the other extremities listed above, which is why you need to protect your home against it at all costs. By ignoring this all-important task, you could suffer from heart problems in the long term. Be sure, then, to put the following advice into practice:

• Audit your energy usage at regular intervals
• Inspect your home for drafts (especially under your doors)
• Make sure your windows are properly caulked (this offers protection against both hot and cold temperatures)
• Purchase more energy-efficient heating appliances
• Rotate your ceiling fan clockwise — it’ll blow out warmer air
• Make sure your home temperature is never allowed to drop below 65 degrees

If it has been announced that extreme weather is imminent, you should do your utmost to put all of the above advice into practice. In some severe cases, doing so could very well stop you from suffering a serious or even fatal injury.