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Your house keeps you and your loved ones safe from natural elements like wind, rain, snow, and ice. Sometimes, the weather can damage your house, threatening its structural integrity — and making for an uncomfortable or even unsafe living environment. So, follow these tips to protect your property as well as the people inside of it.

Act Fast When Weather-Related Incidents Occur

After inclement weather, check your house for damage. Rain, hail, and wind can all cause problems that you may not notice unless you are looking for them. For instance, hail damage to the roof requires you to proactively check out this visually inaccessible surface. If you see issues, get them fixed immediately. Depending on the part of your house that’s damaged and the extent of the harm, costs could run from $2,269 to $13,623. While that might seem steep, failure to act can cost you even more money; for example, not fixing a leaky roof can lead to other problems like moldy insulation or structural deterioration.

Get Your Trees Trimmed to Prepare for Windy Weather

If you have large trees in your yard, hire an arborist to prune them once per year. They will remove dead or sick limbs, which might otherwise come crashing down due to the weight of snow and ice, or because of heavy winds. Tree trimming costs $250 to $500 depending on how many trees you have, how big they are, and where you live. It’s not the cheapest but this investment can save you big money on property damage. A falling branch can wreak havoc on your home or car. This is also a safety issue as there are cases in which falling limbs have seriously injured people.

Safeguard Your Pipes When Temperatures Get Below Freezing

The pipes in the walls and under the floors of your property carry water all throughout your home. If the water inside these pipes freezes, it will expand and put pressure on the pipe, causing it to potentially crack or burst. This primarily happens in parts of the house you don’t heat fully in winter, such as a basement or attic. Water damage can ruin furniture, electronics, and carpets. You can avoid this fiasco by insulating your house from top to bottom. An added bonus is that insulation will lower your heating costs.

Install a Top-Quality HVAC System to Keep Pollen at Bay

A well-functioning heating and cooling system not only makes for a comfortable climate indoors, it also keeps air circulating throughout the home. This prevents dampness and the potentially harmful mold that can grow as a result. You can also equip your system with a high-quality HEPA filter to help keep the air clean, decreasing the amount of dust and pollen floating around. If you have loved ones who suffer from asthma or allergies, purifying the air in this fashion can further keep their symptoms at bay.

Have Your Chimney Inspected Before It Gets Cold Out

A wood-burning stove or fireplace is a lovely spot to curl up in front of when it gets cold out. These devices usually funnel exhaust air to the outside world via a chimney. Get your chimney cleaned in the fall every year. This allows for greater efficiency. Additionally, according to the Chimney Safety Institute of America, dirty chimneys can result in smoke and debris backing up into the home, and even lead to house fires.

Follow the above preventative steps to keep your home safe from all sorts of weather-related incidents, be it cold, wind, or hail. The added effort on your part will protect your home. Given that your house is probably one of the most substantial monetary commitments you’ll make in your lifetime, this is well worth the time and trouble spent.

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