Ready for Rough Weather: Protecting Your Home Investment Depending on where you live, storm preparation might mean installing a storm door, or it might mean boarding every opening and stacking sandbags. It might mean moving the patio furniture into the garage before a front blows through. Storm seasons have grown harder to predict, and the time to harden a home against wind and water is long before the clouds roll in. What follows works through the house from top to bottom and outside to in, so that when rough weather does arrive, your home and the people in it are ready for it. Start at the top, because the roof is the primary layer of protection for the entire structure. If a replacement is due, schedule it rather than stretching another season out of failing shingles. Otherwise, replace damaged shingles, secure loose caps, vents, and gutters, and confirm that all roofing materials are fastened down properly. A roof in good order keeps every other storm problem smaller. THE ROOF
Whether or not new windows are in the plan, protect the glass you have with storm-ready shutters. The selection has never been broader. Hurricane-rated shutters now come in rolling designs, fabric panels, and polycarbonate materials, so you can match the shutter to your region’s weather and your home’s look at the same time. Shutters that stay mounted year- round have a further advantage: when a storm is coming, you close them, rather than racing the clock with a drill and plywood sheets. SHUTTERS
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