Your home is likely your most valuable possession. Even if you don’t own it outright, you’ve invested a lot of time and money into making it something that’s perfect for your family. It’s an investment on many different levels.

Not only has the financial aspect of buying the house taken its toll on your budget, but all the work that goes along with decorating and furnishing the interior to suit your taste may be exhausting, as well!

However, while some people forget to take care of their homes on an inside level, there are some who neglect the exterior parts of their property just as much or even more so due to lack of knowledge or lack of time. Such neglect can have disastrous effects when bad weather comes.

Here are 4 ways on how to prevent water damage outside your home.

Make Sure Your Gutters Are Free Of Debris

As ironic as this may sound, the roof gutter is one of the biggest culprits in causing water damage (especially in areas where it rains frequently). These gutters are designed to take excess rainwater away from your home, and when they become clogged with debris such as leaves or even small pieces of wood, their intended purpose is defeated.

The reason for this? When too much rain falls into them (and remember that all it takes is a little bit of water to create a whole lot of damage!), it will overflow and fall back down on the roof, subsequently soaking your home from the outside.

Inspect Your Roof Every Year for Any Damages or Leaks

If you’re using shingles, look for curled edges; if you’re using metal roofing panels, look for dents; if you’re using wood, make sure it’s intact and not rotting or peeling away at all! Any of these may be signs indicating that your roof is starting to crumble, and the last thing you want is a disaster striking while no one’s home simply because nobody was there to check up on things.

Even if the current condition of the roof looks just fine, remember that about 70% of your roof’s service life typically comes from its installation, so it’s imperative that you hire only the most reputable and professional sheet metal contractor to guarantee your safety.

Keep Tree Branches Trimmed

No matter how well you take care of your gutters, there’s no way that they’ll be able to keep up if their job is constantly being made more difficult by falling tree branches! So if you find that you’re constantly dealing with clogged gutters during heavy rains (and coming inside to water damage as a result), it’s time to get those trees trimmed. Not only will it help prevent water damage, but it will also give the area around your home a cleaner and more professional look.

Use Air Conditioning Wisely

Don’t turn off your air conditioner at night because you think “it’s not hot out anyway”! Leaving the air conditioner on throughout all hours of operation might save you some money now. Still, in the long run, this sort of behaviour equals shortened life spans for many key components such as compressor coils and outdoor unit fans. In addition, an idle condenser may allow water to pool around it and cause that nasty water damage we’ve been talking about.