6 Ways to Protect Your Home from Weather Damage
Changing weather can damage your home over time. Learn here how protect it from natural weather events all year.
How Natural Weather Events Affect Your Home
As a homeowner, there are some home maintenance costs that are out of your hands. We can prepare to protect our homes from extreme weather, aging, and other factors, but emergencies like floods and forest fires can still put our homes at risk. One thing you can plan for each year is the changing seasons and how weather patterns impact your home. From spring rains to winter snowfalls, here’s how to prepare your home in advance to reduce the effects of natural weather events each season.
Protect Your Basement from Water Damage in the Summer
The warm summer months bring more than just sunshine. They can also bring humidity into our homes and basements, causing water damage. In the summer months, a buildup of moisture in the basement can attract pests and unhealthy mold and mildew growth.
Moisture can get inside homes in these ways:
- By moving through porous materials—from the humidity in the warm summer air outside through basement walls and concrete slabs.
- Wet soil underneath a home’s foundation can transfer moisture through the concrete foundation.
- Moisture damage gets worse when a foundation is damaged, with water seeping in through cracks and joints.
- Leaking window wells can cause moisture buildup and standing water.
Insulating your basement windows with caulk can help reduce moisture buildup. In addition, filling around the basement’s exterior walls and windows with one-inch round pebbles is another simple but cost-effective solution to reducing moisture levels inside.
To protect your basement against humidity and moisture buildup, install a dehumidifier and keep fans going for improved air circulation. If your foundation has cracks or you identify standing water in the basement, it’s time for a professional foundation inspection to identify and fix the problem as soon as possible.
Dry Summer Soil Can Harm Your Home’s Foundation
Homeowners usually think of wet conditions and flooding as the main source of foundation damage, but dry soils can also cause harm. If your area is experiencing dry or drought conditions, watering the lawn to keep the soil healthy can help protect your home’s foundation. Dry soil levels can shrink over time and impact a home’s foundation by increasing the effects of settlement and allowing gas and pressure to build up under the home.
It may seem counterintuitive, but a dry lawn can actually cause more damage to a home’s foundation than one that is overwatered.
To protect your foundation:
- Water dry yards to keep soil healthy
- Ensure your drainage systems are clear of debris
- Install a smart irrigation system that responds to weather conditions to reduce wasteful watering while keeping your lawn healthy
In addition to watering your lawn, regular landscaping maintenance can help protect your home from damaging storms. Trimming trees each season and removing damaged or dead trees reduces the chance of storm damage impacting your home.
Waterproof Basements to Guard Against Damaging Rainstorms
Even a short spring shower can cause major water damage in a home if the ground is dry and the rain comes down quickly. Whatever the season, protecting your home from water damage by waterproofing your basement is a smart investment.
Waterproofing your home’s basement can include installing:
- An interior drainage system
- Sump pump system with a backup battery in case of a power outage
- Flood vents
Don’t wait until damaging spring storms start to waterproof and floodproof your basement.
Insulate Your Basement or Crawl Space From Cold Winter Temperatures
For those homeowners living in colder climates, winter weather can cause damaging conditions to a home. From frozen and burst pipes to roof damage and higher heating bills, winter weather can be a real pain. Before the first storm of the season, ensure your roof is ready for heavy winter snow and damaging high winds.
To help lower your heating costs over the winter, improve insulation in your basement or crawl space to keep the warm air in and the cold air out. Installing energy-efficient appliances, including a furnace, can also lower heating bills. Smart appliances can help protect your home against damaging winter temperatures while keeping heating bills in check.
To help protect your home against damaging weather conditions this year, get a free inspection from your local Groundworks basement waterproofing and foundation repair experts.