DIY guideStorms
After a storm: walk around and look up
Walk round the house from a safe distance and look at the roof, the gutters, the trees and the walls. Fallen lines and hanging limbs are for the pros.
- 15 to 30 min
- 7 steps
- Every step animated
7 steps
Tap a step to watch it again.
Before you go out, look for power lines down. Treat every fallen line as live and call the power company.
Never touch or go near a fallen line, or anything it touches.Walk all the way round the house, far enough back to see the whole roof.
Look for shingles missing or lifted, bent metal at the edges, and dents from hail.
Look for gutters sagging or pulled away, and downspouts knocked loose.
Look for broken limbs hanging in the trees, cracked trunks, and trees leaning more than before.
Stay out from under a hanging limb.Photograph the damage from where you stand, for Handyman and for your insurance.
Hanging branches, a tree on a line, or damage up high: stay clear, and ask Handyman for an arborist or a roofer.
What you need
- Binoculars, or a phone with a zoom
- Boots
Call a pro if
- A power line is down: call the power company
- A limb is hanging, or a tree is on the house
- Shingles are missing or water is coming in
Handyman says: Limb hanging? I'll find an arborist.
Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.
More outside and the yard guides
See all 72
Rather have
a pro do it?