How to Make Your House and Yard Wind-Proof
Take it seriously
It’s easy to downplay the power of wind. After all, you can’t see wind; you can only see stuff it picks up and blows around.
Do the obvious first
The first thing you can do is walk around your yard and look for things that aren’t “bolted down.” Lawn chairs, children’s wading pools, empty flower pots, and anything else just laying on the ground is potential ammunition for a wind storm.
Consider liability
Of course you don’t want your things to get tossed around or blow away, but have you thought about liability? If the wind picks up something from your yard and blows it against the neighbor’s house, you may be responsible for any broken window glass.
Plants could be in danger
Then there’s the plants themselves. Plants that are top heavy can break in the wind. I’ve seen trees snapped mid-trunk more often than I care to think about. I had a lovely hibiscus shrub snap right at ground level during a wind storm. It did not recover. Consider installing a sturdy plant stake for any plant you are concerned about.
Wind breaks help
If you live in a high-wind area you may want to plant wind breaks. There are many types of suitable plants for such a screen. The goal is not to completely stop the wind but to slow it down and deflect it. Hedges of arborvitae are commonly used in yards in this area. They give both wind protection and privacy as well as being beautiful.
Another common wind break in this area is a row of Lombardy poplar trees. These trees get up to 100 feet tall, so they are used in larger areas than arborvitae.
Trees near houses?
Think about nearby structures when deciding where to plant trees. Trees that are near houses are particularly dangerous. They can do a lot of damage if they get blown down.
Trees that are habitually under-watered are more likely to be brittle and drop branches. If a large branch falls during a storm, the wind can put it through a window in a nearby house.
And that’s nothing compared to what the tree itself can do if it falls on a house or car.
We get a lot of wind storms in the winter in my area. A recent storm resulted in an unprecedented number of trees being uprooted and falling on houses, cars, and roadways. We’d had a lot of rain for days before the wind storm so the ground was wet and soft. This makes it easier for trees or other plants to be uprooted.
Check your siding and shingles
Check over your house and garage for loose siding or shingles. You’ll probably need to walk across the street to see your whole roof. Re-attaching or replacing a small area can save you a lot of headache by preventing a place where water can get to the wood underneath.
Have good habits
Try to get in the habit of putting things away in your yard when you’re done with them. Make it a habit to check your roof and siding periodically.
Watching weather reports is helpful, but even with that you can’t always know when a wind storm will descend.
Running around trying to gather things up in a gale just isn’t fun. Or safe.
