Unfortunately, there is no perfect protection against hail, but there is a best way to avoid hail damage – here are some measures that homeowners in hail-prone areas can implement to protect their assets, including their home, their landscape and their cars, against the damage caused by the strong winds, the rain and the ice balls that come with hail.
Preparing the Home
The building component that is the most exposed to hail is the roof, therefore strengthening the topmost cover of your home is an essential phase in hail protection. Hire roofing West Bloomfield MI companies to inspect your home annually, clean the roof of any debris and preform a thorough inspection of the roof surface, of the flashing, of the vents as well as of the adjacent areas and components, such as the gutters.
Check for any damaged components, such as cracked or chipped tiles, buckling or displaced shingles, rusty, dented or cracked flashings around the chimneys, skylights and other opening and replace them as quickly as you can before the next hail storm. Clean and inspect the gutters as well – remove any debris, such as dried leaves, twigs or animal nests and address any other issues, such as sagging, cracks or rust as well to make sure the gutters can drain the water that accompanies the hail storm.
The siding panels on your building and the windows are also sensitive to hail damage, so make sure that the siding is healthy and strong – inspect your panels and address any issues that you find.
Preparing the Openings
Hail storms usually come not only with hail stones, but with high winds as well – a combination that can be devastating for even the strongest glass. The best way to protect your windows against hail damage is to install strong and resistant blinds that you can close whenever hail hits. Hail stones can also damage doors, so make sure your front door is made from strong material.
Preparing the Landscape
Hail is bad for the vegetation around the house and it can severely damage your deck or patio, too.
Strengthen the boards and the railing that your deck is made from when the weather is quiet and arrange the furniture on it in a way that allows you to move everything quickly inside when you see a storm coming.
To protect your landscape, you need to inspect your flowers, shrubs and trees regularly and to prune any dead flower heads and any dead branches that could be torn off by the storm. If you have an outdoor grill area, driveways or paths in your yard, make sure that rocks and other decorative components are properly fixed and cannot be lifted by the storm.
Other Measures
Cars also need protection when hail hits. Move your car into the garage when you see severe weather approaching or, if you cannot, move the vehicle to a sheltered area where there are no trees around and cover it in hail-protection foil.
Planning for damage is certainly the best way to avoid hail damage, but you should prepare to do some clean up when the storm is over – even if the storm does not damage anything on your property, the high winds might bring objects and debris from neighboring properties and deposit them on your territory.