How to protect your home against extreme weather

Check your gutters and down-pipes regularly

Make sure your gutters are correctly fitted, free from leaks, and clear of moss and debris. Water should be able to flow freely through them. This is especially important if any part of your home has a flat roof. Older properties may need particular attention if guttering has been there a long time.

Keep trees and large shrubs trimmed

By regularly pruning or trimming large trees and bushes close to your home, you reduce the risk of large boughs or whole trees falling.

Assess your roof seasonally

Tiles and slates can become dislodged during high winds. Make a habit of checking your roof once a season and repair or replace any loose tiles or slates.

Store or secure any large garden items

If you have patio furniture, trampolines, or other outdoor toys like slides or playhouses, take the time to make sure these are securely stored or tied down before a storm hits.

Invest in storm shutters

If you live in an exposed area, it may be a good idea to invest in storm shutters that will protect your windows and doors from flying debris during high winds. Storm shutters are usually made of aluminum, steel, or poly-carbonate and can be motorised or manual.

Insulate your attic and pipes

Correctly insulating your attic space helps retain heat during cold snaps, while insulating exposed pipes helps stop them from freezing and bursting.

Get your boiler or heating system serviced regularly

Make sure everything up to date and running smoothly. Set up an annual appointment with a plumber to give your boiler or heating system the once over.

Remove ice and snow build-up from your roof

If it’s safe to do so, try to remove as much snow and ice from your roof as possible as it can put excess pressure your roof joists which could result in collapse.

Salt footpaths and steps

Save yourself a nasty fall by salting the pathways and steps that you and your family use most often.

Turn on your taps regularly

During freezing weather it’s a good idea to turn your taps on regularly to keep water flowing and lower the risk of burst pipes.

Know where and how to turn off your water supply

If a pipe does burst, it’s important that you can turn off the water as quickly as possible to minimise the damage caused by leaks. Find out where the water supply is in your home and how to switch it off.

Check if nearby public storm drains are clear of debris and draining effectively

If not, contact your local county council or your local councilor and ask for them to be cleared or maintained.

Consider planting a rain garden

A rain garden is a shallow, landscaped depression planted with native vegetation designed to capture, filter, and absorb storm-water runoff from hard surfaces like roofs and driveways.

Keep valuables and sentimental items upstairs

Store important documents, photo albums, and sentimental items upstairs or on higher shelves. This way you reduce the risk of losing them to water damage.

Install non-return valves

If your home is prone to flooding, installing non-return values on your toilets and drains is a great way to stop sewage from backing up into your home when water levels rise.

Keep a supply of sandbags

When the threat of flood is there, use them to block doors into your home and outbuildings.