Identifying Door Damage After a Storm

Following a harsh storm, it’s important to check your entire home for signs of storm damage. One area that can be easy to overlook is damage to your exterior doors. While they may only make up a small portion of your home’s exterior, your exterior doors play an essential role in the safety and security of your entire home. You need to have reliable doors that are functioning properly for your home to be a safe environment for you. If you’re not sure where to begin, here’s how to identify door damage after a storm.

Functional Door Issues

Functional issues with your exterior doors are clear signs of significant damage. If your door is stuck shut, can’t close all the way, or isn’t able to lock and secure your home, these are issues you need to have addressed promptly. While these are all extreme examples of door damage, there may be more subtle issues that come up as well. If your door takes a little extra elbow grease to shut all the way or it’s suddenly sticking in the door frame after a storm, these are also indicators that your door has been damaged in some way.

Keep in mind that the entire door structure is held up by a set of three small hinges. Any minor misalignment or change in the shape of the door can result in significant changes in the functionality of your door.

Cosmetic Door Issues

In addition to functional door issues, you may also want to check for cosmetic issues. While minor wear and tear is expected over the years, large dents, cracked glass, and similar issues are not. You’ll want to look at the exterior of your doors to check for significant cosmetic damage that wasn’t there before the storm. While the wear and tear may not interfere with the functionality of the door, it can affect its performance when it comes to energy efficiency and security.

Make Sure to Check All of Your Doors

While we’ve focused on front entry doors so far, it’s important to check all of the exterior doors around your home. Whether you have a side door, a garage door, or a set of patio doors, you’ll want to inspect all of the exterior doors on your home. Even if it’s a door that you don’t use all that much, you don’t want to find out months after the fact that it’s damaged. In the event of an emergency, knowing that you can use any door on your home to leave the house is essential.

Get a Professional Opinion

Whether you have big concerns about your exterior doors or you’re not sure if your door is damaged or not, getting a professional opinion is a good idea. An experienced window and door company will understand what to look for and how to address any issues – large or small – they might find.

If you have concerns about the entry doors or patio doors on your home, contact NewSouth Window Solutions today for more information.