The month of September is a harrowing time for home owners and business owners.

Soon, a lot of the benefits of the summer months – some obvious, others aren’t – will disappear, leaving their properties exposed and vulnerable to the elements of fall and winter.

Here is what you’ll miss now that summer is ending.

Added weight on the roof

In summer, the worst that can happen to your roof is hail or lightning strikes that can bring trees onto your building. Hail typically doesn’t get beyond golf ball sized, thankfully. And lightning strikes on your property are about as common as actual tornado touchdowns.

But in the fall, there’s the risk of leaves clogging up drainage pipes, gutters and accumulating on your roof directly. That’s a far cry from the easy breezy days of summer. Then in winter, it gets worse – snow accumulation, sleet and icy conditions.

Fluctuating moisture

Sure, humidity is an issue in summertime. But unlike the winter, you don’t necessary have any fears that moisture from outside is going to expand in your walls and cause them to crack.

The fluctuating temperatures of fall and winter place nature’s greatest threat right in your backyard – and inside your masonry. Rain turns to ice and snow and coats your building’s walls. Then, it tends to warm up a bit, making that ice and snow into water – and seeped into stone and brick. Then, it gets cold again. This back-and-forth can wreak havoc on any building, no matter how new or old it is.

Mold and allergens

Speaking of fluctuating moisture levels – when fall comes along, a whole host of allergens are introduced into the environment that can affect your building’s occupants. When the weather changes, certain plants and vegetation begins to die off and trap moisture with it. This can lead to mold and other troublesome allergens.

Leaves on the ground – and in your gutters – also can accumulate and trap dirt and soot, increasing the amount of environmental allergens nearby your building. You’re probably missing the days of summer even more just thinking about it!

Arrow Masonry and Exteriors

See us online at our website for more information about our services. You can also contact us by email or contact us using our online form. You may also call us at (312) 329-0750.

Are you having unexplained flu-like symptoms that can’t be explained by any common virus or bug? Are you experiencing any signs of allergies – stuffy nose, watery and itchy eyes, rashes? Do you feel fatigued and drowsy all the time and don’t really know why?

Your first step should be to the doctor and an allergist to confirm there isn’t something more serious going on. But for most of us, there’s something in the environment that is causing us to feel ill or have allergies. That environment could be outdoors – or even indoors.

If it’s indoor allergies, then you need to take action in your building – such as waterproofing or caulking – to ensure that there isn’t water entering your building. That’s the prime cause for mold, which is a serious allergen for many.

To ensure that you are having allergies, here are some things to look out for today.

Types of allergies you could be having

Some common indoor allergies are respiratory allergies, such as coughs or excessive sneezing. Another major allergy type affects the mucus membranes in your face. If you have this type of allergy, you’ll experience runny noses, watery and itchy eyes and even headaches.

Some of the most troublesome indoor allergies – and most difficult to fully understand what caused them – are skin reactions. You may experience rashes, strange discolorations in your skin, lumps under your skin, or many other variations. Hives, also known as urticaria, are also possible skin reactions to indoor allergies, and can appear in multiple places on the body.

Get help from Arrow Masonry and Exteriors

For more information how we can reduce the risk of allergens entering your building, see us online at our website, contact us by email or contact us using our online form. You may also call us at (312) 329-0750 for more information about the services we provide.

You know that it’s important to maintain and protect a building’s walls and structures, be it your business or your home. There are aesthetic reasons, sure, but you also want to avoid your building having severe damage thanks to the elements or old age. In general, it’s better to spend money preventively on upkeep than to risk needing to spend even more money later on costly repairs.

However, there’s another reason why it’s important to make sure your building’s walls, windows and fixtures are stable and in good condition. Leaks and minor building damage can result in greater damage later on, but leaks can also cause unneeded moisture and dirt to enter the building. At that stage, it’s no longer a masonry concern – it’s a health concern, too.

Outdoor allergies

If you have seasonal allergies, this time of year may involve a lot of eye drops and sneezing. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, as many as 60 million Americans have environmental allergies from irritants such as pollen and ragweed. Having openings in the building walls, faulty windows or poorly closing doors can allow these outside allergens inside.

Another type of allergen that can originate from the outside or the inside is mold. Outdoor mold most commonly originates from dead plants and leaves that rot in the springtime after dying in the wintertime.

If you have leaks or damage to your building, outside mold spores can reach inside and cause a variety of mold-related allergies. These can lead to skin conditions, asthma and other respiratory conditions in children, or may cause allergic reactions in adults who already are susceptible to mold.

Indoor mold

While outside mold can reach indoors through leaks or poorly closing windows and doors, inside mold can develop on its own. However, indoor mold is often caused by similar issues with the building as outside mold.

When too much moisture from outside reaches inside the home, mold spores can flourish, causing a variety of allergic reactions depending on the person. These range from respiratory to digestive, and can even cause asthma to develop in children.

Reducing the risk of mold

One of the key ways to reduce either type of mold spore inside the home is through waterproofing. If your building is made of limestone or similar materials, your building is especially vulnerable to allowing too much moisture inside. When you waterproof your masonry with an effective waterproofing agent, you are sealing the surface of the brick or other material against moisture that would otherwise enter the material. If you haven’t had your building’s masonry water sealed in more than five years, then you should get this service done for your building as soon as you can.

Get help from Arrow Masonry and Exteriors

For more information on ways you can help protect your building – as well as the health of your family or workers inside – visit our website. You may also contact us by email, by using our online form, or by calling us at (312) 329-0750 for more information about the services we provide.