The weather has been getting noticeably more intense over the past few years in the UK, while there are plenty of theories on why the weather has been fluctuating to greater extremes, from global warming to climate change. Whatever the cause, it creates havoc for us every year as we are left to pick up after.
Because of this, we’ve put together this piece of helpful advice that will hopefully prevent you from needing a new roof for your property. Make sure to check over your property carefully before the worst weather of the season makes its way through.
What Can the Wind Do?
Storms ripping through the UK skies don’t necessarily need to bring with them rain and hail, strong winds can cause plenty of damage and have done on several occasions, most notably the Great Storm of 1987, which caused an estimated £1 billion in damage.
Your roof has been designed to withstand years of wind loads however over time and, particularly, after being battered by debris during high winds, it will need a helping hand to get back into tip-top shape. Unfortunately, it only takes one loose tile on your roof to cause all sorts of problems during howling winds. Should the wind get under the tile, it can pull it off entirely, affecting the tiles around it and exposing your roofing membrane. Once your roofing membrane is open to the elements, you are at risk of leaks, moisture and rain damage to the interior of your roof space.
How Can I Prevent Wind Damage?
The best plan of action to prevent your roof from getting damaged by the wind is to inspect over the exterior of your roof for loose, missing or damaged roofing tiles. Any suspected problem areas should be repaired, and tiles replaced or fixed back in place securely. As mentioned before, it only takes one slightly loose tile for an entire section of your roof tiles to be ripped off by high winds. Ideally, you want to be checking your roof as close as possible.
However, if you are not comfortable working at height, ask a competent friend to give you a hand or contact a qualified roofing company. As well as leaving the job to the professionals in case of doing the job incorrectly, calling on the help of experts will ensure the job is also carried out safely. If you do happen to live in the London area, you can go to this website if you are seeking roofing specialists to help secure your home.
You’ll also want to check surrounding trees and structures, is there anything that could be blown down in the wind that puts your roof or property at risk? High-flying, heavy debris can quickly dislodge your roofing tiles or, in some extreme cases, put a hole in your roof. Anything that can potentially take off should be secured to the ground or packed away for use again in the summer.
After every severe storm, there are always hundreds of videos of pop up of trampolines taking flight. Don’t be the home that wakes up with your trampoline in your roof space, secure it down and help neighbours secure their garden items down too.
A Safe Winter is a Happy Winter
Winter is when we are forced to endure the most extreme of weathers, so whether it is high winds, frost or snow, it is important to take the relevant precautions. Stay safe this winter because, as we have become accustomed to, poor weather conditions can last for a good few months.
Thanks for stopping by today, I hope you have found this post useful in preparing for Winter.
You may like this post on ways to heat your kitchen this Winter.
*This is a collaborative post
Working to client specification, we build house extensions of any size from start to finish, including groundwork, brickwork, electrical installation, plumbing, plastering and decorating. We will source pre-used bricks and tiles to match existing and replace supporting walls with Rolled Steel Joists where necessary.
Useful tips
Useful info – had never really thought about it until reading this!
Great info, many thanks for posting.
Very useful Thankyou – prevention is always better than cure
The weather is getting worse and worse, all these storms with pretty names leaving billions of pounds worth of damage they should have better names, great tips xx
Great tips and the right time to use them!