Winter Storm Damage and Repair

This past winter was brutal on homes across the United States, and now it’s time to start thinking about repairs. With the last of the ice and snow melting away, start assessing your home to see where the worst of the damage is. Various areas were likely affected, so be sure to check everything to avoid extensive, expensive replacements and repairs down the road.

Here are some types of winter storm damage, as well as some things you can do to address them:

1. Roof Damage

The roof is exposed to a majority of the inclement weather conditions during a winter storm. Check your roof for missing, cracked and otherwise damaged pieces – shingles, tiles, shakes – and replace them if needed. Otherwise, you could be looking at leaks and holes that could allow moisture and pests to create more damage to your roof deck and the attic underneath. If you can’t spot any immediate signs, it might be good to hire a roof inspector. They’re licensed and experienced in finding those hard-to-see problems.

One of the major issues that winter storms cause is ice dams. Ice dams occur when snow melts and then refreezes near the base of a roof, preventing more moisture from sliding off through gutters and downspouts. Water pools and leaks into the home, causing water damage to walls, ceilings and insulation. Ice dams can damage the roof structure via these leaks as well. You need to repair any areas affected by an ice dam.

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2. Broken Trees

With the heavy snowfall and high winds, your trees likely took a beating this past winter. If they weren’t trimmed and pruned in the fall, some weak branches may have snapped in the wind or under the weight of snow. This means you could have a lot of broken tree limbs in the yard this spring. You might also have a tree with a thin trunk that broke in half because it couldn’t withstand the high winds. In such cases, you’ll need to either make repairs or invest in professional tree removal. For the broken limbs, you can prune and trim trees back so they look better. If you have a tree that’s broken in half, you may need to uproot it and plant a new one.

3. Frozen Pipes

If your area experienced unexpectedly cold weather this year, your pipes may have cracks, leaks or other problems related to ice forming in the pipes. Now that it’s warmer outside, you need to take a closer look at your pipes and get them fixed. If they have major cracks, you should have them replaced and insulated in case another major winter storm hits next year. If your pipes were replaced during the winter, you might consider insulating them with pipe sleeves or fiberglass insulation.

You can install pipe sleeves around under-sink piping, bathroom pipes or some basement pipes as a weekend DIY project. For longer pipes in crawl spaces and under your home, you might need to have a plumber install fiberglass insulation.

4. Hail Damage

Some winter storms came with hail damage, which means your windows, doors, roof and siding could have been damaged. Hail damage most commonly appears as dents, whether in siding, automobiles, shattered windows, panes or doors. Repairing hail damage depends on your homeowners insurance, budget and time. You may need to replace siding panels, window panes or doors, in the most extreme cases. Otherwise you can repair siding and windows, depending on the material.

• Vinyl doesn’t have a lot of backing, which means it’s easy for moisture to leak in, even hail.
• Wood siding can easily swell and warp, so it will need a lot of repairs following significant hail and snow.
• Aluminum will likely be greatly dented following hail, so you’ll need to call a siding professional in to evaluate the damage.

In terms of other repairs, some homes have shatter-resistant windows that break in two pieces rather than many, so it’s easy to replace the pane. If you live in an area with a lot of hail, you may consider installing this type of pane.

5. Flooding Damage

If your foundation isn’t solid or you have a lawn that’s sloping toward your home, melting snow may cause moisture to get into your home. This is not covered in your homeowners insurance, so be prepared to pay a lot of money out of pocket. You could pay for new flooring, repairs or replacement costs for your drywall and costs to repair your foundation. If you have problems with the slope of your lawn, you may need to pay to reslope the lawn away from your home.

6. Landscape Repairs

Depending on your climate and lawn type, you could see a barren, brown or dead lawn come spring. Too much snow and below-freezing temperatures could have killed your lawn during the winter, depending on the type of grass you have. If you live in a state with consistent winters, you mostly likely have the type of lawn that goes dormant in the fall and comes back in the spring. For those states unaccustomed to long, frigid winters, this probably isn’t the case.

You may need to think about fertilizing, overseeding or aerating your lawn to start bringing it back. If your lawn is completely dead, you may need to start again and sod or seed the lawn anew. This can be an extensive and expensive process, in some cases requiring professional help, depending on the square footage. For example, the cost to sod a lawn averages between $1,000 and $2,500, depending on lawn area. Try to do as much as you can to revive the lawn before scrapping it.

7. Fireplace and Chimney Maintenance

If you have a fireplace, chances are you used it a lot this winter for warmth and ambiance. And that means you need to service the chimney and fireplace so it’s ready to go next winter. Some chimneys may have endured a lot of stress and damage during the winter with the high winds, so they need to be inspected just in case. Chimney professionals can check around the masonry for any damages that could lead to disintegration or fire. Inside, the fireplace can be cleaned to remove creosote – a highly flammable substance that builds up with the burning of wood. It’s better to do this now rather than in the fall when these professionals are busy and will charge more for their services.

8. HVAC Maintenance

Your heating system worked overtime this winter to keep the house warm, and it’s probably going to need some maintenance, if not repairs, this spring. Have a professional come out to check the filter, pipes and pumps – whatever might need replacement or repairs. You don’t want it to go out on you next winter, and it’s cheaper and easier to do it now during the warmer months than wait until the last minute.

Once you’ve covered all of these potential damages from the winter, it’s time to look at potential spring home maintenance you might have missed. There’s a lot that goes into transitioning your home from winter to fall, and you don’t want to miss anything!

About Andrea Davis

Andrea Davis works for HomeAdvisor, which helps homeowners find the right home improvement professionals and now makes the process simple from start to finish for everyone using Mhelpdesk. Homeowners can use HomeAdvisor Reviews to see what past customers have to say about each professional, and can calculate average local and national costs for a variety of home projects using Cost Guides. Access to all information and features is free for homeowners.

Note: This is a guest post; the views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Redfin.

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