Our homes can be many things: entertaining, comfortable, a place to share moments with friends and family, and so on. But it’s always worth keeping in mind what the home was originally designed for: keeping us safe from the elements, and nature in general. It was a need to be removed from the dangers of nature that prompted us all to build walls and move indoors. But our homes don’t always provide this function. Sometimes, they let in the elements, which greatly compromises the comfort and enjoyment of our property. Below, we take a look at a few tried and tested methods for ensuring that your home is adept at keeping the elements out.
Plugging Gaps
The best way to keep your home protected from the elements is to make the home more secure. If there’s no way for rain and wind to get in, then it’ll be much easier to keep your home protected. You can do this by first ensuring that your home has high-quality defenses. From there, it’s about staying on top of maintenance. That means periodically checking that there are no gaps or vulnerable spots. Pay particular attention to your roof and in your garage, which are two common spots for this type of thing.
Outside Areas
The elements can affect your home in direct and indirect ways. You might receive heavy rainfall and find that your home is flooded. But it can also affect it in other ways, too. For example, let’s think about the exterior of your home. If there are old trees or garden furniture surrounded your property, then all it could take is some extreme weather, and your home will be at threat. A dead branch that comes loose in heavy weather can cause significant damage to your property. So take a look at the edge of your home pre-winter, and make sure that there is nothing there that poses a threat.
Stormy Weather
Your home needs to be running efficiently in order to stay at its best. But sometimes, that’s not just possible. If the weather is severe enough, then you could find that you’re left without power. While a brief power outage isn’t going to affect your home all that much, if it’s prolonged, or a regular occurrence, then you’ll have issues. It’ll be worthwhile investing in a generator, and also a manual transfer switch so that you can safely give your home power. While it’s somewhat romantic to live by candlelight for a brief period of time, it’s not all that fun if it goes on and on and on.
Keeping Insects Away
Finally, make sure that you’re not making your home a safe haven for insects and other rodents. They’ll make living at your property deeply uncomfortable, and can even affect the long-term value of your home if it becomes a serious problem. Make sure that you’re not leaving trash out, especially during the warm summer month, and call the experts in if you suspect that you have a problem.