Ways To Protect Your Home From Extreme Weather

With winter right around the corner and the threat of extreme weather becoming more commonplace, it's time to make sure your home is buttoned up tight.

ROOF: Regardless of where you live, your first line of defense is your roof. Your roof protects everything else in your home. When composed of materials appropriate to your area and regularly maintained, your home will need less maintenance elsewhere. Specialty roofing materials designed for your area are more important than ever. For example, impact resistant roofing for hail, solar reflective shingles if you live in really hot areas like Arizona, and fire-resistant shingles for homes in wildfire prone areas.

GUTTERS: When you think gutters, think foundation. Adding leaf filters and keeping your gutters clean ensures that water flows away from your home. This protects your foundation.

VENTS: For homes in fire-prone areas, fireproof vent screens help keep embers from entering your home.

WINDOWS: If new windows aren't in the budget, caulk around existing windows to seal gaps and add weather stripping where needed. 

OFF-GRID OPTIONS: Help keep your power going during extreme weather events by using solar and a generator.

DOORS: Opt for steel doors which are more durable and withstand storms better than French doors and sliding patio doors, for example.

EXTERIOR COLORS: Pick roof colors and siding colors that work with the environment you are in. In general, lighter is better as it absorbs less heat.

ATTIC INSULATION: If you are lucky enough to have an attic, keeping it insulated is a no-brainer and won't break the bank either.

FOUNDATION: The golden rule is to keep the area around your foundation dry to preserve longevity. Make sure all water drains away from your foundation.

SIDING: Consider replacing your siding with materials that are heat, fire and water resistant, like brick, fiber-cement, and metal.

SAVE WATER: Methods include using barrels to collect rainwater, using a gray water recycling system (Greyter orSaniflow), or installing a cistern if you have a well.

RESISTANT DECK AND LANDSCAPING: For fire, use Class-A flame-spread materials. For wet, use PVC, fiber cement, and aluminum materials.