Posted: 6/5/2007 9:43:58 AM EDT
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the windstorms a few months ago up here in the NW, got me thinking about preps for the house.. no not food and stuff in the house, but preps for the actual house itself. what all might break if there was a huge windstorm/hurricane/nuclear blast? what might need to be altered if there were zombies? So Im trying to get together some ideas for house preps. so far, Nails - various sizes and lengths screws - various sizes and lengths lumber: need help here plywood boards to fix the roof 2x4's to prop and hold things metal angle braces and connectors to join boards and beams what else? |
| Don't forget a hand full of tarps, the cheap blue ones are fine but when you have a gaping hole in your roof or walls and you need to stop the rain from coming in they are worth their weight in gold. Staple gun with 1/4 and 3/4 staples will cover a lot of ground also. A few rolls of plumbers strap will serve numerous purposes also. |
| Do you have the means to cover the windows (eg plywood cut to fit)? I haven't done so yet but I'm thinking about it finally for this year. The sell clips that let you pop the plywood in w/o the need for screwing it in place. Large tarps are a good idea as already mentioned. |
I love the Simpson strong tie brackets for a quick repair. How are you fixed on cordless tools and either an inverter or generator to charge them? And if there are trees in your area a good chainsaw is a must As far as lumber a selection of 3/8 & 1/2" plywood, and an assortment of 2X4's and maybe a few 2x6's will patch up most anything. |
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If you have a large yard... Dump a load of sand. Get some sand bags. 55gal drums to collect grey(roof)water from the gutter for irrigation or washing needs. plywood won't mean nothing unless you have a MANUAL saw. they are cheap. Nails and hammer are easier than large screws. If you are fortifying use sandbags vs anything else. food, water, food, food, water, water..... |
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a roll of tar paper (roofing felt) at least three bundles of asphalt shingles (unless you have a metal roof, then you need a square worth of metal roofing) more 2x4 and 2x6 than you would think, varying lenths if you have gutters, keep gutter repair material, bad gutters will ruin your house faster than anything silicone or other sealants (several toobs, rotate stock) primer and paint a book or two + some hands on in doing any of it (after 20yrs I'm still learning tricks from others) Basically, any thing you have on your house, is a good thing to have tucked away in the back of the garage. Most important is to match all of your materials to what is existing. Build a rack to store things, it'll keep everything safe and neat and keep the wife from nagging about the pile of crap in the garage good luck |
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If you can afford the luxury, get good tools. Power tools off the top of my head in order of importance, YMMV: Small generator, around 2000 watts so it doesn't eat up all your fuel when it's running but not loaded much, with 12 ga extension cords. Chainsaw and spare chains, bar, oil, file, etc. 7 1/4" Skill saw and spare blades 1/2" rechargable drill and/or AC powered drill, with GOOD quality bits, drivers, etc. Air compressor, that can run from your genny or else gasoline powered Reciprocating sawzal, AC powered with a variety of good blades and plenty of them. Small gas or AC powered water pump [for wet regions of country] |
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For WA state, it may be a man-made disaster long before we see another windstorm like the last one, but then again with the weather changes and all.. The tools that I normally use around my property should be able to solve most problems that I would encounter iffin there were another monster storm that actually damaged my house. - Tarps, they are the duct tape of keeping the weather out, I keep several large ones - Chainsaw, 1001 uses - Generator, perfect for keeping the lights on, whether they are in the house or not - Spare lumber and plywood, you never know when you are gonna need it - Insurance, unless it is actually TSHTF on a major level they replace the goods  Almost all man-made disaster options lead to having to go underground if they were actually to reach us in this remote area, not like I have anywhere underground to go at this point  c0 98% of the population is asleep. The other 2% are staring around in complete amazement, abject terror, or both. falloutshelter653.org |
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I live at the very edge of hurricane country, I can commend the above posts as they've hit the main points. Some additional recommendations; > precut/prefit your plywood as possible, predrill holes for nails, I'd consider painting the panels > I'd stick to 2x4 and 2x6 stock and mostly 8 ft lengths > a good framing hammer is worth its weight in gold, you want 20+ oz head, long handle, straight claw > concentrate on stocking the big nails, I'm a fan of galvanized because rusted "shiny brights" can be hell to extract; maybe some decent roofing nails with the plastic "washer" for tacking down tar paper, tarps etc. > 2 gallons of water per person per day; have you got enough portable jugs? > a small container of plain laundry bleach for sanitizing water and disinfecting cooking utensils etc > food that requires neither refrigeration nor cooking, along with Gatorade mix > any necessary meds, you need a couple of weeks worth; anti-diarrheal and anti-constipation meds > post-storm injuries are really common; cuts, burns, sprains etc. your home 1st kit kit should reflect that > chain saw, gas & oil, leather work gloves (2 pr at least), safety glasses, work boots, and most importantly, basic skills. Stihl sells a cheap instructional DVD on their website covering safety, its worth the few dollars it costs. Depending on your saw, I'd consider a 2nd chain, sharp and ready to go. > heavy-duty garden shears (the one I bought at Home Depot was named "compound loppers") > flashlights and batteries out the wazoo. > a bucket and shovel (your toilet is going to back up pretty quick) You definitely need a proper rack to store long stock like 2x4s, else they will sag and warp, ditto for your plywood panels. Consider using your digicam to photograph your possessions, and scan in the basics on your homeowners insurance. Burn the files onto a couple of CD-Rs along with a text file with your financial account basics. Keep one in your car, maybe mail one to a relative or store in your safety deposit box. |
Store your shingles out of the sun (do you have sun in the PNW?) so they don't stick together... |
I spent the night at my grandmothers house the night of the storm to make sure she and her house made it ok... She has a giant picture window that was facing the brunt of the storm... The only thing available to reinforce it was duct tape.... I ran a couple strips accross it diagonally inside and out... I know it would have blown in without that. (It was a nasty job to clean off, though...) I imagine I don't have to say keep duct tape handy on this forum... I also know people who taped around their doors and basement windows to keep water out, and it seemed to work, or at least help. +1 with the chainsaw Also a fire extinguisher, there were several houses that had electrical shorts from water getting places where it shouldn't. |