Wintertime is no time to forget about your storage shed or garage. If you use your storage shed a lot in the fall, spring, and summer, you want make sure that it stays in good condition over the winter months. That’s why it’s so important to “winterproof” your shed before the snow and freezing rain start to fall. If you don’t take this precaution, your shed may suffer costly damage over the cold weather months. Take a look at what can happen to a shed that has not been prepared for the cold-weather elements.
Maintaining the Condition of a Shed’s Roof
If you don’t winterproof the roof of your shed, snow can seep beneath loose tiles and freeze. As the temperature drops, the ice can expand and push roof tiles out of place. They may even end up on the ground! Moisture can rot the roof of your shed and allow snow, ice, and freezing rain to fall inside the structure. As a result, the items stored inside your shed can suffer damage. For example, metal tools, equipment, and bicycles can rust due to exposure to moisture. Winterproofing your shed roof can help you avoid the task of replacing stored possessions, tiles or even your entire roof when springtime arrives.
Protecting the Items in Your Shed
What sorts of items do you store in your shed? Perhaps you’re a dedicated gardener who has gardening tools, a wheelbarrow, seed, bags of soil, gardening gloves, and other related items in your shed. Or maybe you like to do woodworking inside your shed, in which case you may have saws, tools, and pieces of wood piled in it. Small animals such as mice, squirrels, and raccoons can gain access to a shed through small gaps in the roof or even around the windows. Naturally, they are looking for a place where they can stay warm and maybe even have access to food. An owner who hasn’t filled in these gaps before winter arrives may find that these rodents have ripped into bags of pet food, seed, or other edible materials stored inside the shed. If this happens, you’ll have to deal with the expense of replacing these materials as well as a big mess on the floor. These animals can also chew up pieces of wood or destroy wires attached to expensive pieces of equipment. Individuals who winterproof their shed can avoid this aggravating, costly damage.
Keeping a Shed’s Walls in Good Shape
When the walls of a wooden shed have sealant on them, they are protected from moisture. If there is no sealant on the walls of your shed, moisture can create mildew or cause the boards to rot in the wintertime. The bare walls of a shed can also become discolored when they absorb the moisture from snow and freezing rain. A bare shed wall is vulnerable to any of the harsh weather conditions that occur in the wintertime.
As you can see, taking the time to winterize your shed can really payoff in the springtime. Thanks for reading!-Alan
