The worst time to find out you have a problem with your roof is during a storm. Even if you put aside the risk of bodily injury when climbing on the roof, especially in bad weather, you can’t ignore the internal damage that can be done.

A roof that leaks and is undetected can cause water to drip on interior wood. Over time this will cause wet rot in your wood, weakening the structure of your home. Of course, it’s not just the roof that can leak! Cracks in your walls and around your windows can also allow water ingress.

Alongside this, you need to consider the fact that rain is not the only issue your home faces. Strong winds can literally tear a house apart. 

Protecting the walls from wind and rain is essential and can be achieved by using high-quality cladding for houses.

However, whether you have cladding or not, you need to know how to make sure your exterior is storm proof

The first step is to visually inspect your home. You’re looking for any cracks and other signs of damage, this could allow water, wind, or pests into your home. All of these things can give you serious problems. 

Wind that can get in doesn’t just reduce the temperature of your home, it increases the pressure on the internal structure of your home, potentially allowing it to break from inside to out.

If you find any cracks in your walls or cladding then fix the issue straight away.

The next step is to check and clean your gutters. This is essential if you want to prevent water cascading down your walls or stones and other debris being flung at your windows during a storm.

It’s easy to do, just be careful on the ladder.

If you know a storm is coming then it can be a good idea to cover your windows, this will prevent rain getting in around them or debris damaging them. If your house is fitted with shutters you simply need to close them. If you don’t have any consider fitting some today.

Another risk is water coming in from the bottom, through or even beneath the walls. This happens when you have excessive levels of water and floods are likely. There may be little you can do to prevent water ingress in this form but adding sandbags to the exterior of your property will help, as will looking at the water flow direction and making sure all water is channeled away from your home. If it can’t collect by your home it is less likely to cause flooding.

This may seem strange but storms can often pick small items in your yard up and deposit them in the walls and windows of your home You can prevent this from happening by checking your yard first and eliminating any small items that could be dislodged or moved during a storm.