While some wind storm damage is easy to see, such as fallen branches and missing shingles or siding, other damage can lurk unnoticed, causing significant problems when the next major storm blows through. After any severe weather passes, it’s important to take a walk around your property to look for, and immediately address, any signs of hidden wind storm damage to your home.
Hidden Wind Storm Damage to Your Roof
Your roof serves two primary functions – to protect your home from the elements and to drain and direct the flow of water away from your property. Any wind damage your roof sustains will compromise these two functions and, if left unaddressed, allow water intrusion into your home. Even a “dry” storm that produces no rain or hail can cause significant, often undetected, damage to your roof. As strong winds move over your roof, creating higher pressure in the corners and around the perimeter, stress points can appear that will weaken over time and eventually lead to roof failure. The most common wind damage to your roof will appear along the edges, with a slight lifting of the shingles. Over time, these shingles become looser until the wind can get entirely underneath the shingle and create a chain peeling effect. This damage can start very small, and go unnoticed for quite some time, but it will continue to grow with each significant wind storm that blows through. Once this happens, rain can seep underneath the shingles and allow water intrusion into your home. Detecting this hidden wind damage can be very difficult, and even dangerous given the pitch of your roof. If you suspect your home may have sustained wind damage, especially to your roof, the best option is to call Aapex Construction & Restoration to schedule a thorough inspection.
Hidden Wind Damage to Your Siding
High winds and flying debris account for most of the damage to your home’s siding. Vinyl siding, even though it is highly durable, may sustain splits, cracks, and holes or may lift free and even break away entirely from your home. Aluminum siding may suffer dings and dents from flying debris or, like its vinyl counterpart, be lifted or ripped off your home. Because it serves to protect your home from the elements, certain damage to your home’s siding needs to be addressed immediately or you risk even more significant damage during the next major storm from water intrusion. Any damage that compromises the integrity of your siding – such as when you see holes, cracks, or sections lifted and/or missing – will need to be repaired immediately.
Hidden Storm Damage to Your Windows
We spend so much time looking through our windows that we often don’t take the time to see them. High winds can cause a myriad of problems for your home’s windows. Check to make sure all screens are still in place and that no windows have sustained any cracks from flying debris. If any screens have gone missing, be sure to replace them immediately. These serve not only to keep bugs out of your home during the warmer months, but also to protect the glass in your windows from flying debris during storms. Cracked windows will compromise your home’s insulation and will need to be replaced.
Do you think your home may have sustained damage from high winds? Contact us today so we can locate and repair your hidden wind storm damage.
