Just the mention of “hurricane season” can cause fear in individuals across the nation, especially those who live along the coast. Hurricanes can send debris flying everywhere and cause immense damage, especially to your roof. Thankfully, there are many ways that you can prepare your roof for hurricanes season before it rears its ugly head.
What You Can Do
Being proactive is the best way to be when it comes to protecting your roof. Here are a couple of ways that you can prep your roof for the horror that is hurricane season:
- Trim the Trees Around Your Home: This task is quite simple but can be the difference between a flying roof and a secure roof. If you don’t do this, then your trees might get blown apart during a hurricane.
- Use Roof Tie-Downs: Roof tie-downs will lock your roof in place very securely. When there are heavy winds, your roof isn’t going to bounce around as much as it would without them.
- Clean the Gutters and Drain Systems: This may be dirty work, but it’s necessary work. If you don’t do these chores, then it may back up water from entering the drains. This overfills the gutters and weakens them, making them vulnerable to hurricanes.
- Update Your Shingles: Take the time to re-tighten your shingles. This usually just involves putting roof adhesive to any loose shingles. If you do it at least 2 to 4 weeks before a hurricane comes, then it’ll ensure that your shingles won’t fly off during a hurricane.
- Use Hurricane Straps: Hurricane straps act like window shutters for your roof. These keep everything in place despite harsh winds.
- Reinforce the Roofing System: This may not have come to mind, but it’s a quite efficient way to stabilize your roof. On one hand, you could just hire a roofer to do the deed for you. On the other hand, you could take a more DIY approach. Attach and overlap 2×4 pieces of wood along the trusses of the roof leaving about 11 and a half feet of space in between each piece of wood. This may cost a bit of dough, but it’ll definitely ensure that your roof makes it through the hurricane.
How to be Prepared
Inspecting your roof about once a month will definitely help your roof withstand hurricane season. Some experts suggest climbing above the roof of your home with a pair of binoculars and taking note of things that you need from there. Then, take your concerns to professional roofing contractors.
Even though hurricane season only comes once a year, you should spend the entire year preparing. Doing things like updating your shingles and investing in roof tie-downs will give your roof a fighting chance against the dangerous weather that comes with hurricane season. Also, you should do routine inspections of your roof to make sure that it’s in tip-top shape not just during hurricane season but all year long. Dedicating a couple of hours each month will secure your roof and help provide security and safety for you and your family.
Author’s short bio:
Lonnie Hagen has over 30 years experience in residential and commercial roofing in Dallas. As a full service company, Accent Roofing and Constructions has the know-how to handle any kind of job. We come highly recommended by insurance agencies, construction associations, consumer agencies and many satisfied customers who consider us to be one of the best, reliable and competitive construction and restoration contractors in Dallas / Fort Worth areas. Don’t hesitate to give us a call if you are looking for a Dallas roofing company.