Weatherproofing your home can offer a whole host of benefits. For one, it can make your home more durable and thus prevent or limit the need for expensive repairs in the future. 

Moreover, weatherproofing can create a healthier and more energy efficient home and potentially increase the value of your property. Without further ado, let’s look at ten practical ways to make your home more weatherproof.

Pipework

First and foremost, you should check that the pipework and water tanks in your loft are well-insulated. This can help prevent freezing or even the risk of them bursting during the wintertime. If they are not properly insulated or you aren’t sure how well insulated they are, have a heating engineer or insulation expert come out and take a look.

Roof Repairs

Your roof is one of the first lines of your defence your property has against the weather, especially on wet and windy days. Therefore, you should look out for any issues that have arisen and hire a professional to undertake the next repairs.

One easy step you can take is (from ground level) regularly check your roof to see if any roof tiles/shingles are loose or missing. Also, evaluate your chimney pots and ensure any aerials are firmly in place. You could even use binoculars for a closer look. However, don’t get up on your roof or look out a window; either of these approaches are dangerous. If in any doubt about your roof, hire a professional.

If you were to have several roof tiles replaced, it would cost, on average, £150 to £200 to replace clay tiles, £180 to £220 to replace concrete tiles, or £200 to £250 to replace slate roof tiles. If you wanted to replace an entire tiled roof, you’d be looking at paying somewhere in the region of £10,000 to £20,000. 

As your eaves felt, should this need to be replaced, the average cost of replacing eaves felt is around £350 to £500.

Window Frame Replacements

Window frames will deteriorate with time and if they are particularly old or worn down, you may want to have them repaired, or even better replaced. Arguably the most durable option would be to go with fibreglass window frames. 

However, you’d want to ensure it would be a suitable match for your property. Either way, replacing your window frames can make your home more weatherproof and give it a stronger capacity to 

Gutter Cleaning

Clearing your gutters is another way to make your home more weatherproof. After all, if your gutters become too clogged, they cannot function as intended and are more likely to wear down.

You should particularly look out for whether your gutters need cleaning after a storm or other harsh weather conditions.  Also, watch out for any branches, fencing, or roof slates which look like they may fall and cause damage to your guttering.

Exterior Wall Coating

An exterior wall coating is more durable than regular paint and can protect your wall surfaces from weather damage over time. Along with providing an additional layer of protection, exterior wall coating can look great too.

Learn About Your Flood Risk

While it’s a scary thought to consider your home flooding, it’s always good to be safe and prepared.

For information on the UK’s flood risk check out Gov.uk’s web page on the topic. You can also find information on flood warnings via the flood risk service on Gov.uk.

If your home is located in a flood risk area, ensure you have a plan and ideally some sand bags in storage in case of an emergency.

Keep Your Garden Furniture Secured

If you have any garden furniture, you should keep it secured at night or at the very least, in anticipation of harsh weather conditions. 

After all, if you fail to secure your garden furniture it could wreak havoc during stormy weather. You might want to put your furniture away in the shed or you could tie it down if you are concerned about tough weather.

Insurance Concerns

Of course, while preparation is great (and will usually work), sometimes mother nature can take a toll that we simply can’t prevent. For this possibility, it’s smart to ensure your home is insured for such eventualities. Of course, you should confirm that any insurance package covers natural disasters or other weather-related damage.

Basement/Cellar Waterproofing

There are several steps you can take to ensure your basement or cellar is waterproof. Here is what’s involved:

  • Ensure the area is totally clean.
  • Fill any wall or ceiling holes with a relevant material (e.g., hydraulic cement may prove suitable).
  • You should also fill small cracks with materials like a masonry crack filler (if suitable for your basement/cellar).
  • Lastly, you can apply a waterproof coating to your basement or cellar’s surfaces.

Weatherproof Your Doors

You can also take steps to weatherproof your doors. There are many ways of achieving this, including:

  • Adding weatherstrips to your front door. This will help fill gaps and stop cold air entering your home.
  • Adding draught excluders to various doors in your home.
  • Installing a letterbox draught excluder.
  • Fitting door thresholds.
  • Consider having your door hardware upgraded (e.g., new door knobs, fresh latches, or replace the hinges or locksets).