Strong winds and thundery showers can cause lots of damage to your home – especially to garden fencing!
Although there’s no way to guarantee your fence will survive stormy weather conditions, there’s a few things we can do to make sure our fencing has a better chance of withstanding a storm.
Why are storms bad news for fencing?
High winds and thunderstorms can really test how strong your fence is.
As well as your fence’s strength, there are a few other reasons why your fence might not survive in bad weather.
Factors like age, quality, installation and the foundations can all contribute to how much damage a storm can cause to your fencing.
How to prepare and protect your fence against storms
Read on for our tips on how you can protect your fence against storm and wind damage.
Build a wind proof fence
The type of fencing you choose will help prevent damage caused by strong winds and storms.
Trellis or slat panels are ideal as they’re designed to be wind resistant.
The space between your fence posts will also affect how likely it is to stay up during strong winds. Ideally, you want the spacing to be as close as possible.
Choose quality materials
The quality of your fence materials makes a difference too.
Choose wind-resistant and heavy-duty materials, such as vinyl wood and concrete post braces to make sure your fencing is really sturdy.
Install fence posts
Make sure your posts are installed properly to support your fence. The posts should be installed deep in the ground so that the fence has a secure base.
Also, choosing concrete posts over wooden post braces will help make sure your fence posts last, and don’t rot or weaken over time.
How to prepare and protect your garden against a storm
Remove hazardous objects
Remove any loose or hazardous objects that are close to your fence.
Strong winds can blow objects like patio furniture and plant pots into the fence, so make sure these are stored away.
Keep your fence clean
Keeping your fence in good condition will help make sure it can stand up to storms.
Wood will rot overtime and weaken your fence, so make sure you treat it regularly to keep it in good condition.
Get rid of any overhanging branches near your fence that could potentially damage it, especially in a storm.
Does home insurance cover storm damage to fences?
No, your home insurance doesn’t cover you for storm damage to fences, gates or hedges.
This means that we’re unable to cover the damage to your fencing that’s caused by storms with winds of at least 55mph, heavy rainfall, snow or hail.
That’s why it’s important to make sure that you take the necessary steps to stop your fencing from collapsing in a storm.
To learn more about what to do during a storm and weather-proofing your garden, head to our Storm hub.
