How To Protect Your Home From The Weather With Rated People
Staying true to it’s reputation for being unpredictable, the weather across Britain this summer has been playing havoc with our homes. At this time of year homeowners are usually posting jobs for patios, summer houses and swimming pools. Not this year. We’ve been inundated with repair jobs as a result of the damage caused from the recent wind and rain.
Prevention is always better, and more often than not, cheaper, to cure so here are some projects you should make sure you have up to date.
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Guttering: at this time of year the trees are heavy with leaves. Not only does this make them more likely to be blown down, but it also means the gusty winds we’re experiencing will blow derbies into your guttering. Usually we recommend clearing you gutters at the end of autumn to remove any build up of dead leaves, but with such strong winds and heavy rainfall you need to make sure they’re clear to avoid flooding and damage to the structure of your home. A plumber can fit non-return valves to your drain-pipes to stop dirty water being forced up and into your home should flooding occur.
Image: Ravenna Girls
Roofing repairs: waiting until the winter to do roofing repairs isn’t recommended. Should your tradesman discover that your roof requires more extensive work than just a quick repair, this is not something you want to undertake during the colder months. If the recent downpours have uncovered any leaks it could be a blessing in disguise, don’t hold off to get them fixed!
Damp-proofing: with the recent trend for digging down to create more space (basement conversions) flooding is more likely than ever. Make sure your damp proofing is up to scratch. If you do hire a tradesman to conduct damp-proofing on your home, make sure they come with good recommendations and ask to see examples of previous work – damp-proofing scams are not uncommon! Should your home start to flood remember to cover up the air-bricks, you can get covers from your local DIY store.
Water damage to electrics: if your home is in an area that is prone to flooding there are some simple measures that you should undertake, that should your house flood, will save you money. By getting an electrician to raise the fuse boxes and electrical sockets on the ground floor of your home, you can avoid an expensive re-wiring job should your ground floor flood.
If your home has suffered damage during the recent bad weather or if reading this you’ve realised your home could be at risk this ‘summer’, post your job on Ratedpeople.com to be put in contact with up to three quality tradesmen in your local area. Remember to read recommendations from previous customers to ensure you pick the right tradesman for your job.