Protect your home and your quality of life
You can make your home as liveable as possible right throughout the year with the right planning.
Seasonal changes in the environment have become more drastic over the years, with heavier rains, more severe storms and an increase in humidity.
This has seen places throughout Australia that wouldn’t normally suffer through the ravages of heavy rain and storm activity, now preparing for these extreme weather events.
Protecting your home and keeping your place clean and dry is now a top priority.
What can be done to help make your home the haven you’ve always wanted it to be? The answers lie in knowing what innovations and ideas will work for you and your place.
Preparing for what the weather throws at you
Your home is your castle and it should be protected as much as possible from the elements.
The good news is that you won’t need a pair of low loaders coming by to deliver a new battlement or tractors to dig a moat around your walls to save you from the elements.
You can prepare your place with the right forethought for whatever the changeable weather brings.
The first thing to do is work with what you’ve got. This means checking your existing drainage both inside and out to be sure that there is a clear passage of a sudden heavy downpour.
Then there is your guttering which can easily build up with mud, dirt, leaves and other debris. Blocked gutters and downpipes are a major cause of water damage in Australian homes and can lead to all sorts of secondary problems such as damp walls and cracked plastering.
Then you have the problem of pests being able to get into your home and even suffering the ravages of nasties like termites. There have been a number of such issues arising from the heavy storms that the southern states have endured with an uptake in the search for a trusted termite pest control team.
Thinking ahead can stop you losing your head under the stress of keeping your place safe and dry.
New homes and how to keep them looking new
You can travel around and see a wide variety of new styled homes if you are building your own new place.
Most of the display homes Melbourne offers now showcase the eco-friendly and energy efficiency elements of the home.
A snazzy kitchen interior design is not enough to get couples to sign on anymore. There needs to be a more holistic approach to how a home is put together to peak people’s interest.
What was once the domain of the luxury home builders Melbourne had, is now taken up by a growing list of firms offering specialty builds. This includes a new approach to the plan of the home and where kitchen and bathroom interior designersthen add a stylish look as icing on the cake.
The latest trends in having a climate friendly home are being incorporated into the plans and the special design features. This all goes beyond solar panels, double glazed windows and a rain water tank.
The two sided story of keeping dry
It seems easy enough to protect the interior of your home by filling any gaps around doorways, windows and reapplying caulking to any cracked areas.
It’s important to deal with cracks in and around frames as well as the more obvious culprits in the plaster. There is no point putting off any necessary repairs as things can quickly become much worse.
Using materials that can act as a damp proof course (DPC) within the walls creates a horizontal barrier to prevent rising damp. You can also have a damp proof membrane (DPM) which protects a solid floor in the same way.
What about outside?
Exterior walls can be coated in waterproof sealant that builds an important barrier against rain and moisture. This can be applied before you paint your exterior walls. It is because these walls are constantly exposed to rain and the effects of humidity that moisture can find its way through the external walls and seep into your internal ones.
This seepage means your walls take longer to dry and can easily become a breeding ground for mould. If left untreated, the issue can cause major damage and costly repairs.
For a new build, a special liquid waterproofing can be applied in the building stage of the new home. This means you have a solid foundation in keeping your home dry, no matter what the weather throws your way.
Staying clean and dry is important
There is more to keeping a clean home than just sweeping or mopping up.
How you treat your home is the key to maintaining a level of cleanliness and lowering the need for upkeep.
There are some basic tips that go a long way to keeping your place clean and tidy. They are all the more important to follow during the rainy season.
- A welcome mat makes a big difference. The simple act of cleaning shoes and boots before coming inside is the key to a clean home.
- Keep your wet shoes, bags, coats and umbrellas from travelling through the home. This is when a shoe rack and hallstand can help keep dripping water, mud and dirt from entering your home.
- Maintain your garden. If your garden area is clean and well maintained, there is less chance of dirt, leaves and other debris coming inside.
- Air your place. With your windows and doors closed most of the time in rainy periods, it’s important to air your place as soon as you can. Nothing invite mould and mildew like the build-up of humid air.
It doesn’t hurt to have a short checklist of what needs to be done around your home to keep the place dry and clean. This can include sealing window and door frames, checking pipes and drains for blockages and cleaning up any wet patches as soon as possible.
A reason to start enjoying the rainy season
It may sound like the rainy season is a time to dread rather than embrace.
If you can keep your home protected from the elements as much as possible and maintain a dry and clean environment inside, there is much to make of the rainier times of the year.
As a general rule, the air quality improves during the rainy season. It’s a time to remember the better things about the growth within nature and a reminder that there are many happy hours you can spend indoors too.