Eight ways to weatherproof your house

Have you noticed how harsh the winters are getting and how unpredictable the summers are? This undoubtedly affects our enjoyment of weekends and holidays but more importantly, it puts extra pressure on our homes.  To stand up to the wind, rain, and storms, your home needs to be structurally sound and in tip-top condition. But how do you make sure it is? Here are eight practical things that you can do to protect and weatherproof your house.

Inspect the roof 

Even new roofs can suffer damage in harsh weather. So, you should never assume that a roof will simply look after itself. 

To ensure your roof is in the best condition and that problems are spotted early, get it inspected yearly.

Check and clear guttering

Although your gutters are perfectly shaped to collect rainwater from the roof, they’re also good at collecting dirt and debris, including moss, twigs, and leaves – even when there are no overhanging trees. 

Blocked gutters are one of the prime reasons why rainwater seeps into walls. Check and clear your gutters twice a year to stop this happening. If you’re struggling to do this yourself, find a local handyman or window-cleaning company that can do it for you.

Get chimneys capped

Capping a chimney has several benefits. It stops the ingress of rain and moisture and blocks the wind from blowing down your stack. It can also stop birds from nesting. So, it’s a job worth doing. 

Chimney caps typically come with a metal band to secure them around the chimney pot, so they’re not hard to fit. But as your chimney is quite high up, you may be best hiring a roofer or property maintenance company to sort this out for you. 

Most chimneys have more than one pot. Therefore, it’s likely you’ll need more than one cap. Some caps are specifically for disused chimneys, while others are designed with more ventilation for those that are still in use. So, you do need to make sure you choose the right type. 

Repoint the brickwork

The walls are just as important as the roof for keeping a house weatherproof. Over time, the mortar between the bricks can crack and crumble away, especially where walls are exposed to harsh weather. 

Take a look at the condition of the mortar in your walls and if gaps are starting to appear, it’s worth hiring a builder or bricklayer to come and repoint the brickwork. 

Consider rendering the walls

If your home is in an exposed location, then the walls are going to bear the brunt of the wind and rain. You may also find that it’s hard to keep your home warm when the coldest weather hits. 

In this case, it’s worth considering rendering your walls to add an extra layer of protection. This will also help to keep your home warm and improve the efficiency of your heating. 

Rendering a house is fairly straightforward as there are companies that specialise in doing this. But it’s worth going over the different types beforehand to make sure you choose one that’s resistant to staining and other weather-related issues – particularly if you live in a wet climate or your home is in an exposed location. 

Install triple glazing

Windows are typically seen as a weak spot in terms of thermal efficiency and weatherproofing. The area around the window is often the coldest and draughtiest spot in a room. But the truth is, it needn’t be. 

Upgrading your windows to triple glazing will help to insulate you from the weather outside and will help to keep in more of the heat from your central heating. So, you can stay warm even when the temperatures outside plummet.

Touch up paintwork

The exterior of your home may have a lot of timber features, including doors, windows, fascia, and bargeboards. All of which add a lot of character. But when paint starts to flake away from timber like this, it exposes it to the elements. Eventually, the moisture will cause the timber to rot, and this opens up routes for rainwater to penetrate the roof, walls, and inside of your home.

That’s why it’s so important to touch up paintwork periodically. Paint will last longer if you prep the surfaces fully beforehand and you use an appropriate exterior paint. If you don’t have time to do this, get the professionals in.

Maintain the garden

It might not seem like it, but maintaining your garden is a good way to protect your home against the weather. Things like overhanging and rotten tree branches can do a lot of damage to your home during storms and gales. 

Large trees should be surveyed by a tree surgeon every one to five years, depending on their condition and location.