Protect Your Home from Water Damage This Fall and Winter

With fall and winter rains on the way, there’s no better time to think ahead and protect your home from potential water damage. At Phinney Ridge Painting (PRP), we help customers every year repair and resolve water-related issues—because prevention and early action make all the difference.

What Is Water Damage?

Water damage can arise from many different situations, impacting nearly every part of your home inside and out. In severe cases, it can even force you to move out temporarily while clean-up and repairs are underway.

While major failures of your home’s exterior envelope, plumbing, or drainage systems are common causes, water damage can also creep in slowly over weeks, months, or even years. No matter the situation, most scenarios require experienced professionals to assess, resolve, and repair the issue properly.

Primary Causes of Water Damage

• Roof failure: Have your roof inspected annually, especially if it’s nearing or past its life expectancy.
• Paint, siding, and flashing failure: Bad paint, caulk, or siding can allow water into your home. Improperly installed or missing flashing can even divert water inside.
• Gutter overflow: Gutters should be inspected and cleaned at least once a year. Even covered systems need occasional checks.
• Domestic plumbing failure: Burst pipes and fittings often happen in the coldest months due to improper winterization or HVAC issues.
• Rain and runoff water ingress: Seasonal flooding can overwhelm your home’s defenses.
• Fire-related flooding: Water and foam from sprinklers and hoses can cause extensive damage.
• Construction mishaps: Sometimes the damage is accidental but still serious.

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Areas Typically Affected

Water damage most often impacts flooring, baseboards, carpets, drywall, trim, lath and plaster, wood framing, and exterior siding/trim. These are all areas PRP can help restore.

How PRP Can Help

PRP isn’t a builder or general renovator—we specialize in custom repair and replacement of existing building materials. When water damage happens, our goal is to make it look and feel like it never occurred.

• Assessment & Guidance: We can identify the issue, its potential causes, and provide expert recommendations.
• Repairs & Restoration: From demo to paint, we handle carpentry and painting repairs with our full-time team.
• Project Management: We can estimate, manage, and execute repairs, working alongside you and your insurance company.
• Team of Experts: We can refer or coordinate with trusted plumbers, electricians, roofers, gutter installers, and landscapers.
• Insurance Support: We advocate for you, ensuring you get the coverage you deserve.

What Makes Working with PRP Different?

1. We work for you, not the insurance company.
2. Our in-house employees handle painting and carpentry—we don’t outsource the work you pay for.
3. Our Project Managers keep you updated daily for smooth, stress-free progress.
4. We advocate for you with your insurer so you aren’t shortchanged on reimbursement.

Prevention Is Key

As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Here are a few proactive steps:

• Exterior Envelope: Schedule an assessment to ensure paint, siding, and trim are in working order.
• Roof & Gutters: Clean gutters and clear debris at least once or twice a year—especially after leaves fall in autumn and again in spring.
• Plumbing Winterization: Shut off, drain, and insulate exterior hose bibs, water mains, and irrigation systems to avoid frozen pipes.

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