Nor'wester damage: what to check after a Canterbury windstorm

Why the nor'wester is its own problem

Canterbury's nor'west wind is hot, dry and relentless, and it arrives in gusts that punch rather than push. It does a particular kind of damage: it dries and stresses plants, lifts anything not fixed down, works fences loose at the posts, and fills gutters with debris stripped off trees. It is also the wind most likely to finish off something that was already half failed.

The walk-around, in ten minutes

After any decent blow, walk the boundary and look for:

• Fences: new lean, rattling palings, posts that move when you push them. A fence that survived at an angle usually fails in the next gale.
• Gutters and downpipes: a nor'wester fills them in an afternoon. This is the one that costs you later.
• Trees and big shrubs: cracked limbs, branches hung up in the canopy, anything now leaning over a roof, car or power line.
• Roof: lifted or shifted tiles, flapping flashings, ridge capping out of line. Look from the ground with binoculars rather than climbing up.
• Loose gear: trampolines, bins, outdoor furniture, shade sails, and the sheet of ply that has been leaning on the shed since summer.

The damage that shows up later

Wind damage is sneaky because the consequences arrive with the next rain, not the storm. Debris-packed gutters overflow into fascia and walls. A shifted tile lets water in slowly for months. A cracked limb holds on until the following gale and then lands on something. Doing the walk-around within a day or two of the wind is what separates a tidy-up from a repair bill. The gutter briefing covers the worst offender in detail.

What to hand over

Ground-level tidy-up, dragging branches into a pile and hauling debris away is straightforward. Anything involving a ladder in unsettled weather, a damaged roof, or a limb hanging over power lines is not a DIY job. Andy handles the clear-out and the cart-away: yard cleanups, gutter clearing, fence repairs through handyman work, and the tip run so the pile does not sit by the fence until Christmas.

Storm left a mess? Andy clears wind damage across Christchurch, debris hauled away included. Call or text 027 787 3246 for a free quote.

Related briefings

• Gutter cleaning in Christchurch: when, why, and what happens if you don't
• Neighbour's hedge over your fence: what you can and cannot cut
• The General's field notes: quick wins for a sharper property

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