You need a stormproof house.
Why?
Because your home is so much more than the place you live. It protects the most important parts of your life.
It’s the place your babies take their first step. Where evenings are spent together over the dinner table as a family. It’s your sanctuary.
Those memories- past and future- are worth protecting.
And the first step? Making sure your home’s exterior can weather any storm ahead.
Let me ask you a question. What if…
…everytime you looked at the radar…
…when your phone buzzed with an emergency weather alert…
…when you saw those spring storms rolling in across the hills…
you knew for certain your home was the safest place for your family?
Imagine the relief! Today, we’re going to talk about the most important steps you can take as a homeowner to make your house the safest spot on the block.
Bring on the rain, the wind, the snow…we’re prepped and ready to go!
Tornado VS. Siding: The Wind and Who Wins.
Aunt Em and Uncle Henry would have saved their niece a lot of trouble if they had prepared a little more for high winds.
And in real life? Tornadoes don’t whisk you away to whimsical adventures. They damage your home, cause headaches over insurance claims, and cost you thousands of dollars in repairs.
In 2015, Schuylkill County saw three tornadoes, and although the aftermath was minimal, house siding took the most damage.
We might not see the number of tornadoes that Kansas does, but our spring storms do bring in high winds. That means this: strong siding is essential to stormproof your home’s exterior from water and wind damage.
At Martin Roofing & Siding, we love installing Quest siding for this very reason.
It may seem crazy, but Quest siding is actually designed to withstand tornado-like conditions! This makes it the perfect choice for homes that weather strong storms.
How does it work? This siding is manufactured with deeper grooves and stronger interlocking mechanisms than typical, off-the-shelf alternatives.
Let me give you an example:
When you were a kid, did you ever fold up a sheet of paper to make a fan? You knew even then you couldn’t use a flat sheet to move air. It was too flimsy.
But by creasing it back and forth, you created structural endurance that withstood the force of you waving it to fan your face.
Quest siding works the same way.
The sheets are creased to form ridges. Pair that with the thicker quality of quest siding, and these sheets will protect your home from winds as high as 240 mph!
Quest siding has more to offer than just durability. It’s also:
-
- Low maintenance (No painting required)
- Boosts curb appeal
- And it comes in over 20 different colors
If you want to storm-proof your home against high winds, it starts with the best siding for our weather.
When Ice Weighs Down Your Roof…
Freezing conditions are a challenge to us all. You take everyday precautions to protect yourself when ice is on the radar.
….When roads freeze over, you cancel plans or drive slower than usual to stay safe.
….You salt your walkway and steps to avoid slipping on your way outside.
But what can you do to prevent ice buildup from damaging your home?
Let’s talk about the biggest threat: Ice Dams.
What is an Ice Dam? In a perfect world, all snow and ice would melt evenly on your roof and shed harmlessly through your gutters. But that doesn’t always happen. Ice dams are formed when instead of flowing off- it refreezes at the edge of your gutter.
The cause: Improper ventilation.
Want to learn more about ice dams and how to prepare for them? Read more about them in our earlier article, and find out if your home should be checked for insulation and ventilation efficiency
Stop The Flood With A Strong Foundation
What’s in your basement?
Is it just a room with your hot water heater and a few boxes of old clothes? Or maybe you’ve finished it for extra living space?
Whether it’s essential home systems or your prized coin collection, you want to keep it dry. 98% of basements experience water damage at some point in a home’s life, putting prizes, possessions, expense remodels, and even your home’s fundamental foundation at risk.
In October of 2011, Allentown experienced significant flooding, destroying and damaging over 4,500 homes. How do you keep from becoming a future disaster statistic?
You can’t control all reasons for flooding, but you can control this: roof runoff.
When water pools at your home’s foundation, it wears away at the basement walls. Over time, this provides an “in” for water- and water damage.
Make sure your runoff is heading away from your foundation with gutters that work. If your gutters are backed up, they can’t help with drainage.
Cleaning your gutters twice a year is the best way to prevent basement flooding season to season. But in the long term? You also need to make sure your gutters are performing year to year. Just like your roof or your siding, gutters also wear out and need to be replaced.
Standard gutters last up to 20 years, but if you’ve noticed:
-
- Cracks and leaking water from your gutters
- Stressed joints and breakage at gutter seams
- Or bubbling and peeling paint or cracked siding on your home’s exterior
Then it’s time for new gutters!
The foundation is one of the most important parts of your home. Don’t wait for faulty gutters to start flooding your basement and damage your foundation.
Call us at 570-345-0406 and if you’re worried about spring flooding. We can help you get your home in shape before the rain hits.
Stormproof Against Bitter Temperatures
Every winter, you spend thousands of dollars on electric or gas to heat your home. No one wants to freeze all winter, but what if you could have the same level of comfort at a fraction of the cost?
The first step is identifying your home’s weakness. It makes no sense to spend thousands replacing your windows if your attic insulation is really the cause of drafts.
We’ve discussed this before in this article: How to fix a drafty home.
In an age where most of us rely on public utilities to keep warm and where power outages are a real threat, having the most insulated and efficient home possible means your back-up generator can keep you warm longer under the worst conditions. Stop spending extra money on heating. Keep the cold air outside where it belongs and make this your home’s last freezing winter.
Dentless Solution to Hail
Keeping your home stormproof starts at the top. Your roof protects your home from everything- return the favor by storm proofing your roof.
In the last few years we’re seeing more and more occurrences of hail damage. Spotting damage early means saving thousands in water damage down the road.
We’ve covered spotting hail damage to your home before. You can read up on it here for more information on the warning signs of a larger issue.
When it begins to hail, you take precautions to protect yourself and your belongings. You stay inside until the storm is over and move your car into the garage to avoid windshield damage.
But unlike a car, you can’t move your roof anywhere to protect it.
The solution? Metal.
Metal roofs are designed with hail storms in mind. Current styles are made to be dent resistant against the harshest of hail storms.
Metal roofs aren’t just the best choice to stormproof against hail storms. These roofs are prepared to protect your home in all weather.
The panels of the roof are continuous, meaning there are no seams to allow water to enter. With a metal roof, you won’t have to worry about water seeping through to your attic.
Metal roofs also have a class A fire rating, making them the safest roof option in case of a fire. They’re highly recommended for houses or cabins in heavily forested areas.
Best yet, insurance companies have caught on to metal’s durability. Many companies discount premiums for homes with metal roofs- saving you even more money annually.
The Strongest House on the Block
Here’s the point: You want to keep your family and your home’s investment safe with the durable materials available.
Is it time to update your home and prep for the storms ahead? We can help.
Our team is ready to make your home the strongest on the block. Whether it’s roof replacement, new gutters, or weather-proofing your exterior with new siding- call us for an estimate at 570-345-0406.
Never miss an article! Keep up with the latest at Martin Roofing and Siding by signing up for our email list here:
Recent Comments