How is your house coping with the weather?

HOW IS YOUR HOUSE COPING WITH THE WEATHER?

The changing of the seasons often brings different jobs to do around our properties - from tidying and prepping the garden for autumn and winter, to remembering after the first downpours that the gutters need clearing!

However, following the heat of this summer, we might need to be more vigilant and do some extra checks around our homes and outside. This will obviously vary from home to home depending on your location. 

So aside from general checks on drains, and gutters, soffits and fascia for your roof' what are the areas we might check for heat damage?

CHECK YOUR LOFT / ATTIC SPACE

The forgotten part of your house and often a “dumping ground” for items that we should really get rid of, but decide to “hang onto “ but in reality never used again. Your loft is  often the hottest part of your home and is also where people tend to store things that could be damaged: old papers, photographs and documents, records and instruments, or maybe your old tapes and VHS!

If you store your Christmas decorations in the attic space it might be worth checking they haven't fused or warped, along with electronics and batteries that are also susceptible to heat damage.

What to do: It might be worth seeing if you can store anything important, or of value (sentimental or financial) somewhere else. Also, avoid using cardboard boxes where possible for things like decorations and instead use plastic containers.

OUTSIDE PAVING AND ARTIFICIAL GRASS

It is noticeable now with the increase of cars per household and the increased demand for less maintenance, many front lawns have been replaced by block paving and even artificial grass.

Artificial grass might seem like the easy, low maintenance option but is still prone to heat damage - sun can be reflected onto it causing ‘reflective hot spots’ and any embers can burn or melt the plastic blades. If you have artificial grass in the back garden, you may get your paddling pool out for the children during the hot weather. The heavy weight of the filled pool, presses flat against the ground, blocking evaporation, and trapping moisture, leaving the artificial  grass or slabs to stay damp,  creating the perfect breeding ground for mould, fungal spores and bacteria. 

We often forget when redoing our driveways that  asphalt and tarmac can both soften during excessive hot weather and this leaves them vulnerable to impressions and divots from vehicles and heavy items, making the front of the house unattractive, and even dangerous, as people often trip or twist their ankle. . Even concrete and paving slabs can also be affected as they expand and can potentially have small to larger cracks, especially if exposed to prolonged direct sunlight. 

What to do: Sprinkling water on artificial grass can help and move the paddling pool and other heavy  equipment every few days. For driveways, vary where you park and avoid sharp steering turns. You could also place wide plywood or planks to drive onto, as the wood spreads the weight over a larger area.  In view of the recent extreme hot weather, it would be worthwhile applying a good quality UV resistant sealant to your concrete and paved driveways every few years, BEFORE they start to crack.

MAIN HOUSE 

Wooden and UPVC doors and windows often expand in the heat, which is normal, but if they’ve been forced shut and opened, this can cause permanent  damage. To prevent window sills distorting and discoloring, we may see more households being fitted with external blinds and shutters, this also has the benefit of keeping your rooms cooler by blocking the sun from eating up the windows. A cheaper alternative is to install internal blackout curtains, or reflective window film.

Most building materials will naturally expand and contract in different temperatures. Houses in the UK are built to keep warmth inside, which turns them into heat traps during  prolonged extreme heat. Trapped indoor heat can cause structural stress from shifting soil, caused by the ground drying out, particularly clay soil, and expanding materials, increasing  the possibility of small hairline cracks appearing. In extreme cases, this can lead to subsidence.

What to do: Check for diagonal cracks in brickwork, plaster and drywalls, also check door frames, hinges and windows on a regular basis. If you have any existing cracks make sure they’ve not grown and log any new smaller ones. If you’re worried about any cracks - do the 10p test - if the cracks are thicker than a 10p piece it’s worth investigating with a specialist surveyor.

FLOODING

With such an extended dry spell for most of us, we all know the risks of flash flooding the moment we get more than a thimble of rain at once - the best time to prepare for this is before the rains come!

WHAT TO DO

Most home owners only do it in the winter, but it is worthwhile getting into the habit of removing and clearing leaves and debris from drains, gutters and downpipes on a regular basis as this can make a huge difference in allowing heavy rainwater to flow away freely. A simple thing to do is to install water butts, not just to your house, but also to your shed, garage and greenhouse. This helps stop large volumes of roof water runoff hitting the ground all at once.  You could also consider planting shrubs and larger plants and bushes, which catch falling rainwater on their leaves, slowing down the impact and rate at which water hits the ground. The extra shrubs also absorb heat and provide shade.

The latest reports are that next year could be even hotter and we might get more intense spells of heavy and prolonged rain. So although for most of us and most homes, there will be nothing urgent or alarming to confront - there are some simple things that can help avoid any potential issues, which could possibly save you thousands of pounds and a lot of stress.