A home can be thought of as your own castle. It provides security for you and your family so you can all live together safely within its fortified walls. However, this isn’t the case for all homes. Certain houses are compromised structurally and could be significantly damaged at any moment due to things like strong weather. With this in mind, below are four structural changes you can install into your home to help make sure it’s always strong and sturdy.
Steel Siding
One part of your home that is very important is your siding. Your siding is what protects the walls and the inner structure of your home from the elements. If your siding is weak, it could easily get battered by hail, strong wind and other forms of extreme weather. Consider upgrading to steel siding. It’s much stronger and will last decades longer than other choices like vinyl or wood.
Your Foundation
If you believe there may be some damage to your home’s foundation, it is probably time to invest in foundation repair. Damage to the foundation of a home can have horrendous consequences. Foundation issues can lead to things like cracks in walls, water damage inside the home, sticking windows and extreme structural damage. The longer your foundation is allowed to deteriorate, the more extensive and expensive the damage could become.
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Storm Shutters
Certain homes are more at danger of being damaged by the wind than others. If you live in a coastal area where hurricanes happen with routine frequency, you certainly need to start thinking about ways to upgrade your home’s structure so it’s stormproof. Windows are one part of a home that are certainly at risk. You can protect them by installing sturdy storm shutters rated for hurricane force winds.
Your Roof
Lastly, roofs are extra prone to being damaged by bad weather. A strong enough wind could probably strip your house of most of its roofing. This can lead to extensive damage that will be expensive to repair. Roofing only held in place with a couple of nails or simple mortar pads will not hold up to hurricane force winds. You should investigate stronger options for your roofing if you don’t want it to blow away during storm season.
Overall, protecting a home requires making sure it’s structurally secure. Investigate each different part of your home to discover if it will be able to stand-up against things like strong weather. If you don’t, your home and your pocketbook may end up suffering for it.
By Lizzie Weakley
Photo by Radu Marcusu on Unsplash