Sep 15, 2021

Must-Have Items To Repair House Damage After A Storm

Learn more about the advantages of getting Polycarbonate roofing and why you should consider investing in it… 

No matter how much you prepare and how many precautions we take, some disasters can’t be avoided. Especially for us in the Philippines, where we experience disastrous calamities from tropical storms so often, averaging 20 tropical storms a year. 

In line with this, when these natural disasters visit your area, it is expected that there will be damage. It just depends on how bad or minimal the damage will be. We have become so used to this, it’s almost a way of life here in the country. We are so resilient that we can just bounce back after the storm stops. 

Next to the health and safety of our families, our immediate concern will be is to fix the most pressing problems quickly, such as the damages to our homes. Whether it’s roof problems or dealing with water damage after a flash flood, we will always get to it and make our homes inhabitable again.

Owning basic household tools is important. You can’t do the necessary work with your bare hands or trying to hammer a nail into a wall with the sole of a shoe or even a rock. When disasters of any kind strike, you will need proper tools and materials to cover holes, fix broken windows, and close off any sort of leaks. These basic repair measures can at least make your home liveable again until the professionals can come in for the bigger and proper renovations.

It is imperative that all homeowners should have a set of basic household tools at their disposal. It’s fairly easy to round up and store a small set of tools in your garage, shed, or even under your kitchen sink. You never know when you will need it, so you have to act fast and keep these tools on hand. You might be surprised at how many household repairs you can complete on your own when it calls for it.

Here’s a list of essential tools that should be in your home tool kit that no homeowner should be without:

• Claw Hammer and a container of nails
• Wrench
• Tape measure
• Small hand saw or Bow saw (for cutting off broken tree limbs)
• Toilet plunger
• Level
• Pliers
• Shovels
• Hand saws
• Pry bar (bigger really is better)
• Staple gun (for attaching the tarps)
• Pliers (channel locks, needle nose, vice grips)
• Tubing cutter (for plumbing)
• Wire cutters/strippers (for electrical repairs)
• A ladder (tall enough to reach your roof)
• An ax (for demolition is part of repair; also good for chopping firewood)
• A good utility knife with extra blades
• A set of screwdrivers (flat head and Phillips), and a container of screws

To provide an instant fix to the damages caused by natural disasters such as typhoons, floods, earthquakes, or other calamities, you will need the following basic materials in your arsenal:

• Plywood – You can temporarily fix your damaged walls, roof, floor, windows, or broken doors with pieces of plywood. The ideal thickness is ¾” because it is sturdier, but you can opt for ½” as it is cheaper and you can store more of it. 

• 2”x4” studs – These are basic construction framing materials used for basic wood home framing. It also comes in handy to temporarily support your home in the event of structural damage in your home. 

• Tarps – There are a million uses for tarps, but tarps can be used to cover anything that is broken, including damaged roofs, windows, doors, and walls. Any part of your home that is supposed to ward off the outside elements, should be temporarily covered by tarps to protect your family. It’s almost impossible to have too many. Make sure that they’re big ones.

• Lath or furring strips – These are just thin strips of wood. Using these will help keep your tarps to work better and keep them from flapping when the wind is strong. Nailing them down with lath or furring strips will help that problem. If furring strips are not available, you can improvise by cutting strips from cardboard boxes.

• Clear plastic sheeting – Clear plastic sheets are not just dropped cloth material, they can be useful for a lot of things. Especially in emergency repairs of your home. These sheets come in rolls and can be easily stored in your garage for emergencies. This plastic sheeting can be used when a tarp is not available to keep your house dry and comfortable in the meantime.

• Caulking – This can be used to fix all sorts of leaks. Be sure to buy a caulk gun to help make the caulking process easier.

• Duct tape – Every homeowner should have this versatile and all-purpose repair material ready as it can help with any type of damage repair. 

• Wire ties – These are almost as useful as duct tape for holding things together. These can hold up and secure wires and cords so they won’t get in the way when you’re busy repairing your home. 

• Extension cords –  If your electrical system is damaged, cords can provide a temporary workaround. Make sure to get the medium to heavy-duty ones, not the lightweight ones.

• Wire nuts – You’ll need something to attach the wires together with, this is what electricians use. Get some good-quality electrical tape to go with it as well.

• Hardware – Always keep an assortment of screws, nails, and fasteners to make repairs convenient. Get a bunch of different sizes, as it always seems that you need the size that you don’t have.

These are the basic things you need for making emergency repairs at home. Take a minute to gather them together and keep them in a safe place. You never know when disaster may strike. If you do experience an emergency, call disaster clean-up specialists to restore your home to its original condition as soon as it is okay to do so.

With that list of materials, you should be able to take care of emergency repairs for just about anything that nature can throw at you; as long as your home is still standing. Remember, we’re not talking about “pretty” here, or even meeting the requirements of the building code, we’re talking temporary repairs to keep you going.

Of course, having all those materials isn’t going to do you much good if you don’t have tools to work with. A good set of tools can be worth its weight in gold at such a time. Don’t count on power tools, though, as you may not have electrical power. If you already have power tools, that’s great, but don’t run out and buy a bunch for your emergency repair kit. Rather, spend your money on hand tools. They might not be as easy to use, but as long as you are moving, you can get the job done.

The more tools you have, the more you can do. But at the same time, there’s no reason to have tools and materials that you don’t know how to use. So, be sure to limit yourself to things that you can really use. Don’t let some salesman talk you into buying things just to make his commission.

Storage of your materials is important, as well. You don’t want any wood to get wet, as it will begin to decay. Fortunately, these materials aren’t adversely affected by heat, so you can store them in the garage, a shed, or the attic without any problem. While they may not be convenient to get to in these locations, they won’t be in your way, either.

For your construction or home renovation needs, visit an AllHome store near your or check us out online at allhome.com.ph.