While you may enjoy rainy or snowy days, you may feel frustrated when this weather damages your roof. Whether it’s heavy rain, strong winds, hail, or snow, your roof needs to be adequately prepared to withstand the elements. But what steps do you need to take to ensure you don’t deal with storm damage to your roof?
At Lifetime Roofing, we understand how detrimental storm damage can be to your home, making it essential to know how to avoid it before the storm comes to town. However, you might not know where to begin to protect your roof and property from this damage. If a large storm is rolling into town and you want to avoid unnecessary storm damage, keep reading to see what our team recommends doing to keep yourself safe.
1. Trim Overhanging Branches
Overhanging trees and branches pose a significant risk to your roof’s fragile materials, especially during storms. To avoid storm damage, it is best to regularly trim trees and bushes surrounding your property to prevent them from falling onto your roof. You should also remove any dead or diseased trees that may fall over during extreme weather. If a storm is coming to town, it may also be a good time to rake your yard and throw out old, loose organic debris to prevent it from ending up on your roof due to strong winds.
2. Secure Loose Items
While you may enjoy spending time relaxing on outdoor chairs and recliners or having a meal at an outdoor table, this furniture can be detrimental to your roof during storms. Before a storm rolls into town, make sure to secure any loose furniture, potted plants, and outdoor decorations that may become airborne. In some cases, it may be in your best interest to move outdoor furniture into a shed or your garage to avoid storm damage as a result of it hitting your roof. Not only will this protect your roof, but it will also save you the heartache of dealing with potentially broken windows.
3. Check Gutters and Downspouts
During the fall months, your gutters and downspouts may become clogged with loose leaves, twigs, and other debris. While this might not initially be cause for concern, it can lead to clogs in your gutters, which are detrimental during heavy rainfall. Make sure to check your gutters and downspouts twice a year to ensure they aren’t clogged, as clogged gutters may guide rainwater toward your roof. This water may get beneath roof tiles, which can lead to mold and mildew growth on the roof and inside your home. As this grows, this minor storm damage may even lead to significant health problems.
4. Reinforce Roofing Materials
If you’ve had to replace a roof before because of storm damage, it might be in your best interest to invest in high-quality, weather-resistant roofing materials. You may even want to speak to a roofing professional about investing in a metal roof instead, which is designed to withstand far more wear and tear. Metal roofs are strong enough to stand up to wind, heavy rainfall, snow, and hail, making them the perfect solution if you are tired of the constant repairs associated with more fragile roofing materials.
5. Have an Emergency Preparedness Plan
No matter how much you try to prevent storm damage, some damage may be unavoidable. To protect yourself in the event that you aren’t able to completely prevent damage, try to have an emergency preparedness plan. Purchase tarps and buckets to put over and under any holes that may emerge on your roof. Additionally, make sure to have the contact information for reliable roofers in your area if you need professional repairs. The sooner you reach out to them after the storm damage occurs, the less likely you are to deal with rising repair costs.
6. Schedule Roof Maintenance
If you want to avoid storm damage, one of the easiest ways to do this is by investing in regular roof maintenance. This maintenance should be scheduled at least twice a year. During this maintenance, your roofing professional can check for signs of damage that you might otherwise miss. If they find any signs of damage, they can repair it before it causes significant damage to your home or your roof structure.
Address Storm Damage with Lifetime Roofing
If you are dealing with storm damage to your roof, working with a reliable roofing company is a great way to quickly remedy the situation. If you are looking for a reliable roofing company in the Northern Utah area, turn to our team at Lifetime Roofing. With almost two decades of experience installing, maintaining, and repairing roofs across the Wasatch Front, we are confident that we can help you restore your roof in no time at all. If you would like to speak to a member of our team about our roof repair services or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us today.