Undoing Property Damage From Winter

This is a collaborative post by Ellie Jo about ways to undo property damage caused by winter weather.

Undoing Property Damage From Winter

Winter can truly be a difficult time to contend with. Not only are there an extreme amount of heavy weather conditions depending on where you are, but the dark can be hard to deal with, and sometimes give you seasonal affective disorder. While lethargy is one personal difficulty to deal with (but you can deal with it,) sometimes our homes can suffer under the weight of the changing season. It’s always best to prepare in advance, but failing that we can repair our homes after the winter season is done with. This article hopes to consider both present and post-winter cautionary advice you might wish to implement in the spirit of repairs, and potentially to help you stop the same from occurring next year.

Winter is a wonderful, evocative time. Ensure it remains so instead of an inconvenience with the following methods:

Tarpaulin Covers to Protect Property from Winter Weather

If not already placed down, it can be very worthwhile to ensure tarpaulin covers the areas of your exterior you are hoping to protect. For example, outside furniture, ponds, pools, sheds, or other forms of child play equipment need to be covered in order to enjoy more protection against the coming elements. Tarpaulin can prevent heavy snowfall from harming a certain implement or encouraging rust within its frame. If tightly wound, it can also waterproof it to some extent, but of course, moisture in the air might have its way. It might not be an absolutely complete solution, but it can certainly reduce any of the damage that might occur from hail storms, heavy snow or rainfall. For the price of a full tarpaulin sheet compared to the repairs it can save you from doing, tarpaulin is worth its weight in gold. Just be sure to correctly inspect and measure the dimensions you need to prevent you from wasting money on more than you need.

Preventative Supply Kits for Winter Weather

Home supply kits can be extremely worthwhile at this time of year. Salt for gritting driveways and pathways can be very useful, especially if you have any form of angle on the descent or ascent to your home. If you live on a country lane, perhaps opening discussions with your neighbors about salting duties and/or investments can help the entire road pitch in to ensure safety. Supply kits can also include oil for doors, WD40, degreaser, ropes, and winches for your vehicle if you have one to be supported. Simple equipment such as a shovel and a survival knife might help you dig your vehicle out, or shave ice from a garage door keeping it closed. The knife may also be used to knock away sharp icicles that can sometimes form under your windows ledges outside, as these can pose a real risk of injury if they fall at the wrong time.

Pool Repair During the Winter

If you own a pool, you’ll likely understand that the winter period can be quite harsh upon it. While it’s wise to drain the pool before the winter comes, that’s hardly the extent of the work that may need to be done. Tarpaulin should cover the circumference of the installation, but it can also be essentially important to consider the pipe network and how repeated freezing and thawing over the course of a season with fluctuating temperatures can cause damage. It’s best to hire the best pool repair inspectors at the end of each winter season to ensure that the entire pool is able to be filled up once more without issue, as this can save you plenty of money draining and refilling a pool with the correct concentration of cleaners.

Wintertime Roofing

Roofing is often the hardest hit during a winter period, and it’s not exactly difficult to see why. Weather conditions will land here the hardest, and the pressing weight of heavy snowfall can sometimes cause damage, or sustained wetness might be an issue for niche roofing designs such as those that are thatched. Roofing is essential to apply correctly to your home. We’d recommend having your internal roofing felt inspected, as well as the exterior inspected for any loose shingles or potential flaws in previous work taken place this year. The last thing you need is a roof in the attic, as this can have disastrous results throughout the rest of your home. Heat also rises, and so if using the heating supply this winter you don’t want to be wasting money as the heat escapes your roof, so also be sure to check the insulation.

It might be that zero or plenty of restoration work needs to take place over the Christmas period. Unfortunately, there’s little you can do in order to prevent a snowfall on your roof aside from making sure it’s in good condition before the winter begins, and repairing any issues that occur afterward. In other words, stay aware of the situation as best you can.

Protecting Pipes During the Winter

It can be worthwhile to not only continually use the pipes of your plumbing network throughout the house in order to ensure they are warmed and can prevent freezing (at least once a day) but easily protect your pipes too.  It’s essential that you keep an eye on any changes that occur, such as low or high pressure, or report leaks straight away. A small plumbing issue can lead to a large plumbing issue with rapidity, and if you’re not careful that can be a very real situation you find yourself in.

Thankfully, it only takes a little while in order to do this. However, inside pipes aren’t the only pipes you should be concerned with. Debris such as ice on the roof or leaves in the heavy wind can sometimes find their way into the drainage pipes outside, or prevent the floor grates from being able to facilitate this properly. Keep an eye on these during the winter and remove any that you can, be resoundingly careful to use a ladder in the colder, slippery conditions. There are long-form scraping arms you can purchase for this purpose.

With these tips, and the willingness to stay aware, you’re sure to prevent, manage and undo potential winter damage to your home.