Living in North Central Florida, storms are a fact of life. And as a homeowner, you want to make sure your house is protected from storm and wind damage that can lead to costly repairs or the hassle of insurance claims. While some types of damage are unavoidable, you can limit future damage by shoring up vulnerable areas of your home. The Gainesville restoration specialists at Maven Construction Group suggest checking for (and, if necessary, addressing) these four potential problem areas.
Shingled roofs are common across North Central Florida homes. While they are decorative features, shingles also protect roofs from nature’s elements (sunshine, precipitation) and debris (falling branches). You might not think a big deal of a few broken or missing shingles, but during a powerful storm, high winds can affect these vulnerable areas of your structure and cause even more shingles to break off, which will likely result in severe roof damage to your property. Replacing a handful of missing shingles today can thus prevent you from having to redo the entire roof once storm season is over.
Property siding can serve to add an aesthetically appealing, decorative quality to the exterior of a home. Siding can be made from wood, aluminum, or even cement, while the designs can range from a natural appearance to the appearance of common materials within residential properties, such as brick or stone.
Yet, for all these variations, all siding when loose becomes vulnerable to the effects of wind storms. A swift gust of wind can snap in half or pull off completely a poorly secured section of siding from the exterior of a house, leaving the structure susceptible to water damage and subsequent interior property damage due from excess rain and moisture. Homeowners can prevent the occurrence of loose siding by addressing any loose spots of siding with extra nails, professional-grade glue, or epoxy.
North Central Florida is home to deciduous trees that perennially shed and regrow their leaves. Those loose leaves end up all over the place, including within the gutters that are attached to most houses. The purpose of gutters is to collect rainwater and distribute it away from the home’s foundation to prevent water damage. Gutters that are blocked-up with leaves and other types of common debris are unable to transport water as intended, from which the result is puddled pools of water at the base of the house. If this occurs frequently during the rainy months of the year, the consequent damage could merit extensive water restoration services.
Just because a door or window is shut doesn’t mean it’s entirely closed off to the elements. Even a slight opening along the edge of a window can cause problems. While running the HVAC system, any warm or cool conditioned air will leak out gradually, inordinately raising the utility bill. In storm season that same crack can allow in enough moisture during a rainstorm to cause interior water or mold damage along the walls or floor. One way to test the seals along doors and windows is to run a birthday streamer along the edges, point a portable fan at the other side, and watch for movement. Air leaks along windows can be sealed with epoxy, while doors can be sealed with weather stripping.
Addressing the areas of your home at-risk for storm damage helps prevent mold or water damage later on. But if storm damages do occur, it’s important to address them immediately by calling Maven Construction Group. As Gainesville’s leading restoration specialists, our team can repair damage before it worsens or leads to additional problems. Contact our damage restoration specialists for more information today.
Locally owned and operated in Gainesville, FL, Maven Construction Group is a licensed general contractor, Angie’s List Certified Contractor, and is accredited and A-rated by the Better Business Bureau. Maven has delivered the best damage restoration and reconstruction services in North Central Florida for more than 15 years.
Certified General Contractor Lic # CGC1519003 Certified Mold Remediation Lic # MRSR2344