It’s critical for homeowners to have faith in their houses’ safety as extreme weather events become more severe and frequent1. However, “less than half (48%) of surveyed consumers who have noticed weather changes are very confident in their home’s ability to endure extreme weather,” according to a CertainTeed industry poll.
“It’s never too early to be ready for a severe weather event,” says CertainTeed / Saint-Gobain North America’s Lucas Hamilton, manager of applied building science. “You should take care of a problem area in your home as soon as you notice it.”
Making thoughtful improvements can give you peace of mind and increase the value of your house, but waiting too long might leave it vulnerable. There are many of modifications you can do as part of regular house care and maintenance, even though some of these tasks can seem overwhelming.
How to Determine If Weather-Related Updates Are Needed for Your Home
So, is your location a factor in these upgrades? In a nutshell, sure. According to Hamilton, “a lot of these home updates for extreme weather are location dependent.” For instance: Impact-resistant roofing would be more important for locations affected by tornadoes, whereas fire-resistant construction materials are more important for dwellings in the Wildland Urban Interface (areas that undergo wildfires). One tool that might assist you in determining what severe weather effects to plan for in your region is the FEMA National Risk Index.
Another consideration in prioritizing is cost. While some of these improvements are smaller and less costly, others need more time, money, and resources to complete. Similar to this, if a house’s surfaces are still in excellent condition, you may not be keen to invest money to re-side or re-roof it.
16 House Improvements to Help Get Ready for Severe Weather
1. Make Roof Upgrades
“A home’s roof serves as its first line of defense,” claims Hamilton. Improvements to your roof can make your house far more resilient to severe weather, but as Hamilton points out, “it is important to select the right materials for your climate.”
In order to prevent wildfires, Hamilton advises looking for solar reflective shingles to block solar heat and rising temperatures, Class-F rated roofing for areas susceptible to hurricanes and tornadoes, impact-resistant roofing with a Class 4 impact rating for hail-prone areas, and fire-resistant materials overall. There are other roofing materials to take into consideration, such as metal panels, clay tiles, and asphalt shingles, depending on the conditions you have to deal with. Homes in high wind zones may also include hurricane straps, which are fasteners that further bind the roof to the house.
2. Make Gutters Better
This is a modest yet significant house renovation project. Leaf filters aid in keeping gutter clogs from forming, preventing water backups during periods of high precipitation. To maximize the benefits of your home’s gutters, Hamilton suggests “improving exterior surface drainage to ensure rainwater from the gutters is directed away from the foundation.”
3. Guard Vents
Installing vent covers and fire-resistant vents may have a significant influence in areas where wildfires are a threat. Houses are full of vents and openings that let in air, but they may also provide as points of entrance for floating embers. These elements are kept out of more sensitive interior spaces by vents and vent coverings.
4. Make Windows Stronger
Although double- and triple-pane windows may provide significant energy savings over single-pane windows, there are other methods to upgrade windows to increase their durability for your house.
According to Hamilton, “storm windows and doors play a crucial role in the fight against extreme weather.” These are basically protective additions made to the outside or inside of the home to go over the already-existing doors and windows. Similar to this, storm shutters are stronger external modifications that sometimes need to be built before a storm is expected.
Impact windows, which have a sturdy frame and glass designed to stay intact even when it breaks from a severe impact, are an additional choice to replace regular windows. According to Hamilton, “impact windows help protect your home against flying debris.”
Even if buying new windows is out of your price range, you can still modernize. “First, fill up any outside cracks and holes with caulk. Next, to stop heat and cold from entering, install weatherstripping and install an insulation kit for windows or doors, advises Hamilton. “By strengthening the barrier between your home and the outdoors, these modifications help you save money on heating and cooling while keeping the elements outside.”
5. Make Use of the Correct Underlayments, Flashings, and House Wraps
“You’ll want to select underlayments and housewraps that provide the proper protection against extreme weather when installing a new roof and siding to protect against extreme weather,” advises Hamilton, adding that this layer can help shield against hurricanes, snow storms, ice dams, and wind-driven rain. “The last line of defense is flashing and house wrap, which ensures that any water that does get through the outer layer doesn’t enter the home.”
6. Make a Solar Investment
No matter what climatic location you live in, solar energy is a simple way to save money. You may choose to augment your standard grid power use or go completely solar. Solar panels and even weather-resistant solar roof tiles are available as options. The cost of going solar depends depend on your choices, but the end result will reduce your energy costs and put you in a better position to withstand storms. According to Hamilton, “solar helps homeowners keep the lights on when facing power outages as well when paired with a battery storage unit.”
7. Opt for steel doors
Consider steel doors if you want to improve the entryways of your house. Steel doors are more resilient than French doors and sliding patio doors, for example, and can endure storms even if they do not have the same exterior appeal as certain more ornate door types.
8. Examine Exterior Colors
Lighter hues reflect light and dissipate heat, whereas darker hues absorb light and retain heat. Use this information to choose siding and roofing materials that are most appropriate for your climate, or to guide product and installation choices so that color choices won’t compromise the energy efficiency of your house. “Use solar reflective shingles if you’re going with a dark color for your roof; they won’t heat up your attic below,” advises Hamilton. “Use vinyl siding, which is self-ventilated, or place dark colored siding over a ventilated area so that when the siding warms up, it conducts the heat out before it enters your wall.”
9. Replace the Insulation in the Attic
By improving the insulation in attics and crawl spaces, you may help prevent extremes in temperature, both hot and cold, as well as the associated energy expenditures. According to Hamilton, “this process not only lowers your energy bills but also improves comfort with very little disruption.” “For instance, having adequate insulation helps keep warm air inside your home during a power outage during a blizzard in February, keeping your family comfortable while you wait for power to be restored.”
10. Steer Clear of the Foundation with Water
In addition to other major structural issues, an excessive amount of water near the base of your house might cause foundation cracks. According to Hamilton, “this problem and the amount of water in the ground after rain events are likely to increase.” According to Hamilton, making sure that water is diverted away from the home is a beneficial task. This covers any surface water that flows over your yard as well as water that comes from the roof and gutters.
Take the gutters out from behind the house.
To better handle runoff, alter the terrain and grading of the site.
If your basement is wet or has moisture problems, or if it has already flooded, installing a sump pump is a smart investment. The purpose of a sump pump is to automatically remove water from a basement and away from the foundation during heavy rains, storms, and floods. This is particularly crucial for houses that have crawl spaces and basements below the water table.
In the event that water-diverting measures fail to keep the foundation dry, Hamilton advises waterproofing the basement wall’s outside for further security.
11. Construct Sturdy Siding
Siding that remains dry and cool to the touch is essential as the rain becomes heavier and the temperature rises, according to Hamilton. How water-resistant is your siding? After a rainstorm or snowfall, Hamilton advises taking a stroll around your house to see whether your siding is damp and retains water. If so, you may want to upgrade to something that won’t absorb and retain water in order to preserve your home’s exterior layers of protection. You should also consider features like durability and fire resistance, depending on where you live. Metal siding, fiber cement, and brick are a few materials to think about.
12. Conserve Water
Drought, severe heat, and water restrictions are affecting a large portion of the United States. Although low-flow and energy-efficient water fixtures have long been the standard, there are more recent and sophisticated improvements available that may assist you in managing water in your house. Green Builder Magazine has discovered a number of clever water-saving techniques, each with different installation needs and price points.
Greywater is the water that drains from equipment like your dishwasher and washing machine as well as from your bathroom sink, shower, and tub. Greywater recycling systems, such as those manufactured by Saniflo or Greyter, reuse water for purposes other than toilet flushing.
Leak detection gadgets, such as the Flo smart water detector from Moen and the Plus smart water assistant from Phyn, keep an eye on the water lines and use in your house and notify you when a leak is found. Installed straight into the plumbing system of your house, they may also be programmed to cut off water instantly in the case of a significant leak, saving you money on water bills and averting serious damage to your home’s furnishings and structure.
Another easy approach to solving water issues in a sustainable manner is to collect rainwater. This might be as easy as using rain barrels to keep your garden going or installing a more sophisticated rainwater collection system for your house.
13. Talk about indoor air quality
By filtering smoke, pollutants, and mold spores from wildfires, floods, and major water events, air purifiers may help eliminate the affects of harsh weather from inside your house. Product manager for home environment at Clorox Home Appliances Nicole Backus said, “They enter your home environment through cracks and gaps, impacting indoor air quality.” Because smoke and other pollutants irritate our lungs, air purifiers may be a lifesaver when it comes to staying comfortable in our homes during severe weather.
“Like cigarette smoke, air pollution particulates and wildfire smoke can easily penetrate fabrics, accumulate on surfaces and walls, and these odors are difficult to clean and eliminate,” adds Backus. According to Backus, using an air purifier may aid in lowering the amount of dust that settles on the surfaces in your house.
Although they are more affordable and compact, individual air purifiers are limited to the area they are utilized in. Consider investing in a more potent HVAC system or whole-house dehumidification and air purification equipment if you’re looking for a more comprehensive solution.
14. Invest in a Standby Generator
Power disruptions are expected to occur in areas that are vulnerable to severe weather. If you lose power, a backup generator can keep your house running. Additional electricity may keep air purifiers operating to safeguard your health, appliances operating to preserve perishable food, and lights on at night or in poor light.
15. Design Adaptable Landscape Design
The kind of plants you grow and where they are placed affect how resilient your house is to harsh weather.
Clear the area of any combustible vegetation, such as mulch, that can catch fire and ignite the house’s side. “Modifications to the immediate area around the home—perimeter of the structure out to about 5 feet—have proven critical to preventing or minimizing ignitions,” according to the National Fire Protection Association and Green Builder Media’s Enough is Enough publication. Get more about useful landscaping in the 100–200 foot radius around the home, known as the ignition zone, here.
Include grasses and native plants in your landscape. Openlands claims that since native grasses have deep roots, they can withstand floods and droughts by decreasing soil erosion and improving water filtration.
16. Construct a Sturdy Deck
Decks, porches, and patios are direct extensions of a house, which increases its vulnerability. For this reason, it’s critical that these outside buildings be able to withstand harsh weather conditions as well. Seek materials with Class-A flame-spread ratings, since these materials burn more slowly than those with Class B or C ratings.
An additional decking quality is ignition resistance, which denotes a material’s ability to withstand fire and was first introduced in California. Conventional wood materials are often flammable and vulnerable to water damage, but more resilient and fire-rated decking is available. Examples of these materials include PVC, fiber cement, and aluminum.
Keep in mind that the deck’s design is important as well. Water shouldn’t collect or remain close to the home in the space under the deck. Patio furniture and furnishings should be stored inside so that you may securely remove them from inclement weather. These things might be flammable and pose a risk during strong winds.