How Winter Weather Can Damage Your Yard and Driveway

Winter time is hard on your home and yard. It is important to understand what harm the elements can do, and to take steps to avoid serious damage.

The Driveway

The driveway is the entrance to your home, and you want its appearance to be free of cracks and debris. The surface of the driveway can crack from the freezing and melting process. The arrival of winter often brings snow and ice, which needs to be removed quickly.

If possible, do not use deicing chemicals to clear the drive. The concrete or asphalt surface can be damaged and the chemicals can cause damage under the driveway itself. Runoff from melted snow and ice, full of harmful chemicals, can damage the grass or landscaping. Avoid rock salt or urea, and use calcium chloride or calcium magnesium acetate sparingly.

To protect the surface of your driveway and as a green solution, use kitty litter or sand on the ice or snow. Both will help add traction to a slick driveway and will leave no harmful effects. A snow blower is a good investment, as attempting to plow the drive can pit and scrape the surface. Never use a pick to break up ice on the driveway, as you can easily leave pits in the surface.

After winter passes, reseal the driveway with a sealing product available from your local home improvement store. If you have more significant damage, call in a professional like Superior Asphalt Paving Ltd. to renew the asphalt drive.

Your Yard

Before the first snowfall or icing event, prepare your yard. A little preventative action will protect your home and those you love from some dangerous situations.

Remove any branches or overhanging vegetation that could fall, causing damage to your home or yard. The weight of snow or ice can bring down weak limbs and do significant damage to a roof, deck or porch.

Be sure the driveway has space for melting snow or ice to drain by removing vegetation for several inches on each side of the drive. A buildup of ice or standing water can damage the cement or asphalt, and create a real safety issue for family members getting into the house.

Check your drainage from gutters or sloping yard. If water has nowhere to go, it will pool and flood the yard, and can harm your home’s foundation. A flooded yard can harm landscaping and will cause a real mess during the spring thaw.
What should you do after the winter passes, leaving the driveway cracked and the yard burned by chemicals? Address repairs needed in the driveway as this will help head off any problems next winter. Fill in areas where water pools in the yard with soil, and reseed. Be sure you address drainage problems so when the snow begins next winter, you can enjoy the beauty of the season, knowing your home and yard are protected from the elements.