The Hidden Home Damage That Can Follow Heavy Rain and High Winds

First, the obvious stuff left behind by bad weather. Downed trees and branches; flooded areas such as yards and driveways; and knocked-down outdoor items like patio furniture are just a few examples of very visible destruction. The trouble is most severe weather also leaves behind much hidden damage that can be quite costly if not found before it causes further damage.

While some of the damage caused by a severe storm is obvious, some of the most expensive damages are not.

It is common for many homeowners to not realize the full extent of the home’s damage after a heavy rain or high winds. Small amounts of roof damage, broken siding, or a clogged drainage path can be creating a multitude of problems for a home. Seemingly minor amounts of water entering a home through a leak in the roof can cause serious damage in very little time. The water can enter the attic or roof space of a home and seep into the walls and ceilings of rooms below. It can also cause mold and mildew to grow, which can be extremely expensive to remove. In addition, water can enter the walls of a home through leaks in the siding or trim and cause serious damage to the structure of the home over time.

After a storm, the most important thing that a homeowner can do to save themselves from expensive repair bills is to do a post-storm inspection of their home. Don’t wait until you see a leak or until you smell mildew—do a full inspection of your house. A roof opening, a loose piece of siding, a clogged drainage path, or a spot of dampness in your attic can cause serious problems if not fixed before they become major issues. But a simple inspection after a storm can save you a lot of money and even prevent some repairs altogether.

Start With The Roof And Gutters

When wind is strong enough to lift the shingles on your roof, it can also force large amounts of rain under the edges of the roof, creating ideal conditions for leaks to develop. In addition to being dislodged by wind, the shingles on your roof can also be damaged by hail or other flying debris during a storm. Often the damage from hail or flying debris is visible on the surface of your roof in the form of dents, cracks, or missing granules on asphalt shingles. Some damage may appear minor at first and not seem to require immediate attention but can quickly develop into a more serious problem. Look for curled-up shingles or a patch of exposed underlayment on your roof after a storm.

Your Gutters are Like Your Hair After a Storm—a reflection of your last storm. Just like if you had a blowout before the storm and found a ton of granules in your gutters, that means your roof took a beating. Check your gutters for sagging, check your downspouts for being detached from the house, and check for water flowing over the sides of the gutters. If any of these conditions exist, water will flow towards your home’s foundation instead of moving AWAY from your home. This can cause serious damage in a very short period of time. Inspect your gutters periodically to prevent costly repairs.

Cracked, missing, curled shingles are easy to diagnose as needing to be repaired. Missing granules from asphalt shingles that wind up in gutters may also indicate roofing damage that should be addressed by local roof repair contractors before small leaks allow further damage.

Check The Attic For Quiet Warning Signs

You might not be able to see from outside your home the type of roof damage that has occurred from a heavy rain or high winds. More often than not the worst of the damage can be found in your attic.

Even a faint water mark on the roof is something you should be concerned with, as this water can run along the rafters and eventually leak through into the ceilings of your home in places as yet unaffected by the storm. Often by the time a brown spot or patch appears on the ceiling, the leak has been active for some time.

By inspecting your attic with a flashlight, you can usually determine if there are any roof leaks by looking for dampness, rot, or stains on the wood. Even a faint water line on the roof deck can travel down the rafters between the ceiling and the roof deck.

Look Around Windows, Doors, And Siding

Weather events such as thunderstorms and wind can force water into the openings around windows and doors as well as cracks and holes in siding. Some of the most common areas for water to penetrate a home include around exterior trim such as door and window casings, eaves, rakes, and exterior corners as well as near brick-mortar joints. If the paint on the exterior of the home is beginning to peel and the adjacent trim is swelling and becoming soft to the touch, then there is a good chance that there is a water leakage problem in that area of the home.

Siding also can shift in the high winds and develop gaps that allow water to penetrate behind the panels. Over time, the trapped moisture can cause serious problems with the sheathing and insulation of the walls.

Do Not Ignore Drainage Around The Foundation

After a storm, water should move away from the house. If it collects near the foundation of your home, seeps into your basement corners, or creates muddy channels along the exterior walls of your home, your home’s drainage system may be in need of repair. Make sure that downspouts extend far enough from your home and that the soil around your home’s foundation slopes away from the home.

Make sure that your home’s water drains away from the foundation, not towards it. Check to see if your downspouts are long enough and if the ground slopes away from your home’s foundation. You can also fill in low spots in your yard with soil and create a slight slope to help water to run away from your home.

A Calm Inspection Can Prevent Bigger Repairs

In most cases, storm-related damage requires repair and can be attended to long after the storm has passed. Often, all that’s required is a thoughtful inspection of what damage may have occurred during the event and the subsequent repairs to correct any and all damage found. (That damaged roof shingle, damp attic beam, or clogged-up guttering—whatever the case, damage can appear to be insignificant in the first instance – but needs to be fixed!).

With these few tips, you will be able to tell in the days after a storm whether or not your home was affected by the wind and rain. Knowing in advance the full extent of the damage a storm caused can save you a world of trouble in the months and years that follow.