Take Hurricane Recovery One Step At A Time
Whether hurricane season is sweeping its way across the coast or a distant memory of financial danger, it's worth your time to have a plan for when devastating nature damages or completely takes away your property. Your life and the life of your loved ones are the most important, but it's fair to think about getting back to a more normal, comfortable lifestyle. Here are a few areas worth your time as you recover from wind, flood, and debris damage after a stormy season.
Broken Glass And Bashed Wood
Projectiles can be dampened or deflected to some extent with boards or storm shutters, but there's always a chance that your windows could be damaged during the storm. Replacement seems like a simple concept, but this destruction could be a chance for an upgrade. Make sure you file an insurance claim early, as every storm creates a wait time with increasing amounts of money being tossed around--and you'll want access to a recovery budget as soon as possible.
If your old windows were standard panes with no real decorative flair, you could opt for something a bit more fancy. To get the best out of your replacement budget, consider windows that offer energy-saving and temperature managing features.
There are multiple brands boasting shading and light filtering features with a variety of effects, but the main goal is to keep a useful amount of sunlight coming through the windows while slightly reducing internal temperatures during the summer. For the winter, you may want to consider inspecting and/or replacing your window frames, sills and other window area infrastructure in case of leaks.
Anything broken could be a new leak, so don't think that this advice is just for people with older homes. If something was compromised, consider replacement.
Water Damage Cleaning And Replacement
Water can devastate many things about the home, especially when it comes to water logged beams, boards and furniture. If it's supporting your home and damaged by the water, put in an insurance claim and get the damage replaced as soon as possible. Rot and simple weakness over time can make a much more expensive, collapsing problem if you're not careful.
At a less drastic, but more noticeable level, how is your furniture? Do you need reupholstered furniture, or spots removed from unplanned water damage? In your home was flooded and an amazing sofa was soiled as it soaked up dirty water, don't just throw it away; give an upholstery cleaning service a chance to make it right.
The key here is to check with a professional before tossing furniture aside. Restoration may be an option, especially if you're dealing with a one-of-a-kind or discontinued line of furniture. Even if the furniture itself is widely available, if you're in love with a particular shade or texture of upholstery, don't just let it go because of storm damage. Contact an upholstery cleaning professional to get an assessment of the damage to find out what can be done.
