Preparing Your Houston Home for Emergency Weather
Hurricane season is coming up! Is your home ready? You’re probably stocking up on nonperishable food, checking for leaks around windows, and performing general maintenance to keep out the weather. These are absolutely important when severe weather can come at any time. But what about the roof? Your entire house needs to be prepared.
Don’t wait until the last minute to weatherproof your roof. With the proper forethought, you can have a few preventive measures and weatherproof roof features installed during the initial project. Talk to your roof builder about a few roofing materials or strategies that could save you trouble during hurricane season later on.
Is your roof ready for hurricane season? These weatherproofing ideas could prevent serious damage and save you money and effort! Share on XReinforced Shingles
If you’re like most homeowners, you probably have shingles on your rooftop. Asphalt shingles do an excellent job of repelling rainwater, but if they blow off your roof in high winds, the rain can get inside. Ask your roofing service about adding a few extra nails to hold your shingles onto the roof and prevent potential leaks.
Pro Tip: For a tiled roof, your repair service will probably add a sealant around any cracks and edges to further repel water. Talk to your contractor for details and options.
Underlayment
When a roof is installed, the builders line the interior of the roof with a final layer of underlayment, usually tar paper. See if your roofing company offers an option for waterproof underlayment for further leak protection. The waterproof layer costs more than standard tar paper, but you don’t need to cover the entire roof, just edges and weak areas that could leak in a storm. Those few extra dollars could save you hugely expensive repairs later.
Gutter Guards
The gutters around your roof direct rainwater to flow away from vulnerable spots on your roof. In a typical rainstorm, they function just fine. But the high winds of a hurricane or severe thunderstorm could throw leaves and debris into your gutters, clogging them up and causing water to pool in dangerous areas. Installing a gutter guard, a grate over your gutters, will allow rainwater to flow out while preventing leaves from clogging them up. In addition to a reinforced roof, redirecting the rain will reduce your risk of water damage.
Metal Roofing
If you’re getting an entirely new roof ahead of hurricane season, consider switching to a metal roof. Solid metal is hands-down the most durable roofing material on the market, leaving almost no room for leaks. And don’t worry about appearances! Modern metal roofs come in as many colors as tiles or shingles. Your new roof can be both stylish and weatherproof.
Preparing for Severe Weather
As you reinforce both your home and your rooftop in anticipation of hurricane season, remember that no preparation is entirely flawless. A particularly severe storm could still cause some damage to your home. But your efforts can keep damage and leaks to a minimum. Talk to your roofing contractor about the best methods and materials to protect your home this summer.
Join the conversation to see how other homeowners reinforced their roofs to withstand severe wind and rain.