Hurricane season officially starts on June 1, and in Houston, that date sneaks up fast. One week we are enjoying the last cool mornings of spring, and the next we are tracking a storm in the Gulf. The truth is, by the time a system has a name, it is already too late to start preparing your home. The work has to happen now, in May, while the weather is calm and contractors still have open spots on their schedule.
NOAA marks National Hurricane Preparedness Week in the first week of May for exactly this reason. They want homeowners checking their homes before the first storm forms, not after. Houston is one of the most storm-exposed metro areas in the country, and even a “minor” tropical storm can rip off shingles, push water through siding, and flood low-lying yards.
Here is a practical, Houston-focused checklist to get your home storm-ready before June 1.
Your roof is the first thing a storm attacks, and the first thing to fail. High wind lifts loose shingles, hail cracks the granule layer, and heavy rain finds every weak spot.
Walk around your yard and look up. Are any shingles missing, curled, or lifted? Are there dark streaks or bare patches? Do you see granules piling up in the gutters? If you spotted any of these signs, our recent post on 7 warning signs your Houston roof needs replacing breaks down what to do next.
A roof at the end of its life will not survive a direct hit from a tropical storm. If yours is close to 20 years old or showing damage, do not wait. ABF Remodeling offers free roof inspections through our Houston roofing services so you can know exactly where you stand before storm season.
Siding takes a beating from wind-driven rain. Loose panels let water sneak behind the wall and into your insulation and framing, where it sits unseen for weeks.
Walk the perimeter of your home and look for:
If the paint on your exterior is chalky, peeling, or 10+ years old, a fresh coat seals up tiny cracks and adds a layer of protection. Our exterior painting team can have your home sealed and looking sharp before the first storm.
Houston rains do not mess around. A tropical storm can drop 6 to 12 inches of rain in 24 hours, and your gutters have to move all of it away from your foundation.
Clogged gutters cause three big problems: water spills over the edge and damages your fascia, water backs up under your shingles and rots the roof deck, and water pools next to the foundation and seeps inside.
Clean them out now. While you are up there, check that the downspouts carry water at least 4 to 6 feet away from your home. Splash blocks and downspout extenders are cheap insurance.
Falling branches cause some of the worst storm damage to Houston roofs and windows. Ready.gov recommends trimming back any branches that hang over your home or touch your roofline.
Walk your yard and ask yourself: in a 70 mph wind, what becomes a missile? Patio furniture, planter pots, grills, kids’ toys, trampolines, and even outdoor decorations can all turn into projectiles. Plan now for where these items will go when a storm is in the forecast. A garage, shed, or interior closet is best.
If you have an open patio that needs more protection, a solid-roof patio cover can shield outdoor furniture and the back of your home from wind-driven rain. Take a look at our outdoor living and patio cover options if this is on your list.
Wind-driven rain finds the smallest gap. Run your hand around the inside frame of every exterior door and window. Feel any drafts? See any daylight? That is where water will get in during a storm.
Check for:
The garage door is one of the most overlooked weak spots in a Houston home. If wind blows through a failed garage door, it can lift the roof from the inside. If your garage door is more than 15 years old or visibly flexes on a windy day, have it checked by a professional.
Grab a flashlight and head into the attic on a sunny day. Turn off the light and look up. Any spots of daylight means you already have a hole.
Then look for:
These all point to leaks that are too small to notice from inside the house but big enough to fail in a storm. The fix is usually simple if you catch it now. If you wait, the next big rain could turn a $200 repair into a $10,000 ceiling replacement.
Even with the best prep, sometimes water finds a way in. Knowing what to do in the first 24 hours after a leak makes a huge difference in how much damage your home takes.
The basics: shut off power to any wet area, move furniture off wet flooring, and start drying out the space as fast as possible. Drywall and insulation that stay wet for more than 48 hours grow mold, and mold remediation is far more expensive than water cleanup.
Save the phone number of a trusted water damage remediation team in your phone before you need one. After a major storm, every restoration company in Houston is slammed and harder to reach.
Insurance is the part most homeowners forget until it is too late. The Texas Department of Insurance points out that once a named storm enters the Gulf, most insurance companies stop selling new policies or making changes to existing ones.
Before June 1:
If you ever need to file a claim, that 10-minute video is the most valuable thing you will own.
This is the most important part of the whole checklist. Once a tropical system is in the Gulf, prices for tarps, plywood, and generators triple. Contractors stop answering new calls. Insurance companies stop binding new policies. Your options shrink to almost nothing.
FEMA’s guidance is straightforward: every step is easier and cheaper when done early. The homeowners who fare best after Houston storms are the ones who did the boring work in May, when nobody else was thinking about it.
ABF Remodeling has been helping Houston homeowners protect their homes since 1999. We offer free pre-season inspections for roofing, exterior, and water damage risk, plus written quotes with no pressure. If storm damage does hit, we also help with insurance claim paperwork to get your repairs moving fast.
Need flexible payment options? Ask us about our financing programs so you do not have to put off the repairs that protect your home.
Contact our team today to schedule your free inspection. A few hours of prep in May can save you thousands when the first storm forms in the Gulf.
Copyright © 2026 ABF Remodeling | All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | Designed by THECLAYMEDIA
