To Sea or Not to Sea

Most people can only imagine hearing the sound of waves crashing against the shore or watching as the tide pulls within a few feet of their back door, and it’s safe to say that waking up to this kind of scene would be a dream for many. It is important, however, that the beauty of a beach home not distract you from other considerations that should be kept in mind when you decide whether to buy waterfront property. Here are three important things to remember when considering living on the beach.

Effects of Salt Water

You are bound to have beautiful views from your oceanfront home, but you need to be prepared for some of the property damage inherent with living so close to the ocean. The salt in the air is highly reactive because it carries an electrical charge. This electrical charge allows it to penetrate a variety of different materials, taking hold for years, and eventually causing corrosion and structural damage to property if not treated properly. You might even be unfortunate enough to get salt into your electrical wiring. This corrodes the metal and leads to short outs, broken electrical equipment, and in some cases, a fire.

Salt can also eat away at concrete. Too much exposure to salt will eventually lead to structural problems with your foundation, sidewalks, and pillars. Salt can also have the same effect on brick, mortar and plaster.

Furthermore, salt can eat away at wood in a process called delignification, where saltwater penetrates the wood and causes a formation of fuzzy crystals on its surface. These crystals pull out part of the cellular wall of wood. Delignification won’t cause significant damage in a one time flooding event, but after repeat exposures to salt, wood can wither away and become unstable.

Insurance

One other factor to keep in mind is homeowners insurance. Do your research on different insurance requirements. You’re likely to pay more for your insurance as you live closer to the water. You also want to look closely at the different insurance policies and what they cover. Every insurance policy is going to cover something different, and you’ll want to make sure that events like strong winds, tides, rain, hail, and any other types of destructive weather are covered under your plan.

Research

While living on a beach sounds ideal, this dream location can come with some nightmare weather. When you live on the ocean, you are going to have to be aware of the tides, as well as severe weather storms including hurricanes, and potentially, tsunamis. It is best to do plenty of research about the area you will live in, so you can decide if you are prepared to handle everything that can come with owning an oceanfront home.

If you find doing all this research on your own a little overwhelming then it would be a good idea to call a realtor in the area you want to buy a home. They should have all the information about weather, insurance, and any other details you might need to know before you buy a home on the ocean.

This article was provided by Chase Roberts, home and garden expert who dreams of an ocean-side home. If you’re a Texan looking for sturdy roofing perfect for seaside weather conditions,  Chase recommends checking out a company that specializes in roofing in Katy, TX.

This article provides some great info for those of us in the Northeast who are considering becoming snow birds! ~Gary