The United States has various weather conditions. Since many cities usually experience harsher weather conditions, homeowners need to emphasize having a sturdy home. However, this does not mean that each home is immune to the effects of extreme weather.
Naturally, harsh weather conditions can cause structural damage. Even though some cracks can be easily remedied with a bit of repair, some damages take years to fix. This is especially true when it comes to water damage, which is generally expensive.
Fortunately, there are a variety of ways to keep water damage at bay. So what are some crucial ways of waterproofing your home and ensuring that your home’s structure remains in good condition? How do you stop water damage that can cause water damage in the long run? Here’s what you need to know.
Focusing on Your Home’s Foundation
One of the most critical parts of waterproofing your property and preserving its structural integrity is focusing first on your home’s foundation. Let’s face it; nobody wants to live in a house with shaky foundations. The first part of your home that gets damaged from water is usually the foundation since water tends to travel the lowest parts of the property.
But other than water damage, you also need to protect your foundations from chemicals and acid. This is especially true when you’re working on your car inside your garage since fluids can leak from the chassis to your garage’s floor, which can lead to health hazards.
You can consider using materials like lift drip diapers to absorb harmful chemicals, acid, and other fluids from your vehicle. This can prevent them from going into your home’s foundations. Not only does this preserve your home’s foundation, but this can come in handy when you don’t want to make a mess.
Your Gutter and Drains Can Help
Probably one of the essential parts of your home that can help with waterproofing is your gutter and drainage systems. Again, one of the crucial parts of keeping your home’s structure in a pristine condition is protecting your home’s foundation. If your home’s foundation is compromised, there’s a good chance that this can significantly cause damage to your home’s support. If you want to keep your home in a sturdy condition, invest in gutters that can effectively keep your foundations dry.
Your Roofing System Is Essential
Besides your home’s gutters and drainage that can redirect water to areas that can’t harm your home, ensure you have the proper roofing. Even if it’s not the first thing that most people see when looking at a home, it’s one of the most vital parts of the house that can shield it from damage.
Roofs are specifically designed to be durable since this usually takes the brunt of the force from high winds and hailstorms that can damage your home’s structure. For many centuries, many homes have been using gable-shaped roofs to prevent any form of water damage effectively.
However, that doesn’t mean that your home is now completely immune to damages. Certain types of damages can lead to a cascade of other damages. For instance, a missing shingle can lead to moisture seeping into your home’s insulation sheet. That, in turn, can lead to the proliferation of molds on your attic’s support beams. This can then lead to other structural problems in the long run.
So what’s a good way of stopping these forms of damage? Preventive maintenance through consistent inspections is key to identifying damages to your home’s roof structure. Not only can this keep your home in good condition, but this can have a significant
Minding Your Entrances
Finally, another method of waterproofing your home is minding your entrances. This is especially important because your entrances are vital areas where moisture might enter your home. Although there’s nothing wrong with having a balance of moisture that can help make your home more comfortable, too much water can lead to structural problems, as to what we have discussed in previous sections.
A prevalent myth in keeping your home in good condition is that your windows and doors should remain open when high winds and rain occurs. In reality, this can only lead to structural damages when a sudden shift of moisture and air pressure happens. That said, reinforce and close down your doors and windows during harsh weather conditions.
You should ensure that your glass windows are sealed appropriately so that water won’t contact wood, leading to wood rotting. Just like when you’re sealing off leaks on your roofing systems, proper sealants are needed to ensure that your doors and windows won’t become avenues to approach for moisture and water.
As you can see, there are many ways of waterproofing your home. Although water damage might seem like a trivial matter for many homeowners at first glance, this can have a considerable impact on your home’s structural integrity. If you want to ensure that your home is free from almost any type of damage, taking a proactive approach through prevention is a better choice than having to spend thousands of dollars on repairs and damage.
