Are you ready for a roof review? In the fall, it’s time to check in on your roof before the fall and winter winds start to damage your roof and its support systems. Every homeowner should strive for an A+ roof. After all, your roof protects your home and your family, and it needs to be working at its peak. How can you make sure that your roof is in the best possible shape before the cool, wet fall and winter weather set in?

1. Look for Exterior Damage

The most visible signs of roof failure are obvious when you look at your shingles or tiles. Look for cracked and missing shingles, but also look for loose or curling ones as well. If shingles are losing a lot of their coating, that means that they’re aging too, and ultimately the loss of that fine debris could lead to leaks. You don’t need to climb on your roof to check for damage. If you look with binoculars, you can often perform an initial inspection.

2. Look for Interior Damage

The inside of your home tells a story about the state of your roof as well. After the first fall storm, check to see if there are any stains or if there is any water in your attic. Look on interior walls for mold, mildew, softness, or stains as well. If your roof is so damaged that it’s leaking into your roof and walls, it’s past time for a roof repair.

3. Look for Subtle Signs of Roofing Problems

There are also more subtle signs that you’re not quite prepared for winter storms. If your roof is collecting a lot of moss in one location, that could be a sign that water pools there, potentially causing roof damage. If water is moving between your roof and your gutters, causing mildew or moss on your siding, that can damage both your roof and gutter system. Look for signs of moisture accumulation such as mold, mildew, and moss, and you can find areas where you may need to undertake a roof repair now or in the future.

4. Check Your Landscaping

How does your garden landscaping help your roof? Trees with loose branches can drop them onto your roof, causing a minor or major roof repair. Even small repairs can cause serious trouble, especially if you don’t notice them right away. Leaks in your attic can cause mold to form, damaging your indoor air quality. Before the winter, do some preemptive damage control in your garden and prune dead or dangerous branches.

5. Look At Your Support Structures

Cramming doesn’t work when it comes to your roof. You need to make sure that you have thoroughly prepared for the fall and winter season. This means that not only does your roof need to be ready, your gutters need to be ready too. Your gutters are designed to move water away from your roof, your siding, and your foundation. If they’re clogged with debris or full of ice from winter storms, they don’t function well. Water not only moves down your siding and onto your foundation, it can back up onto your roof, or worse yet, it can freeze under your shingles. Before winter sets in, make sure that your gutters are clean, look at gutter replacement for damaged gutters, and add gutter covers to eliminate problems with gutter debris.

At Harry Helmet, we care about your home. Learn more about roofing options and view our photo gallery to see how we can help you create a beautiful, functional, and safe home.

Written by Del Thebaud