While there are still several days of warm weather ahead of us, the first day of fall is not far off and that means this is the perfect time of the year to get your home – and your roof – ready for the high winds and heavy rain that comes along with the fall season.
Before the temperatures drop and it is dangerous to get on the roof of your home, use this time of the year to do the follow things to get prepared:
- A family can never be too prepared for emergency situations and this is the perfect time of year to make sure that you have a safety plan in place for your family, and that everyone knows what to do in case of an emergency. This includes having an evacuation route if there is a fire and having access to a designated emergency phone. So many families now have opted to not have a landline telephone in their home, in favor of cellular phones. However, if everyone in the home doesn’t know where the cell phone(s) are kept or charged during the night hours, it could add valuable minutes to the time it takes to call for help.
- This is the time of year when it is best to schedule a professional maintenance inspection of your roof. During the summer, your roof can swell from the heat and it is important to check chimneys, skylights, and ventilation sources to make sure the materials that are meant to seal them off are not damaged.
- If you haven’t done so already, check your rain gutters for debris build-up and clogs. Your rain gutters are an essential part of your home’s draining system and it is essential that they be free from blockages in order for your home’s foundation to be protected from flood.
While it can be tempting to use these last few days of summer and warm weather to lay outside and soak up the sun and relaxation, investing this time in your roof and getting it ready for the fall is an investment that will pay for itself during the first rainstorm of the season.