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To prolong the life of your roof and ensure water doesn’t leak through, you should inspect your home’s roof twice a year—once in late spring and once during the fall. If you feel you’re not up to the task, hire a professional. Your roof might need important adjustments and repairs. Also, examine the roof’s surroundings to prevent additional damage.

Inspect the Roof

• Check the roof flashings, which cover gaps near vents and chimneys and can become dislocated during a storm. Replace faulty pieces.
• If you have an asphalt roof, replace shingles that have bare spots, are warping, or are curling at the edges.
• If you own a wooden shake roof, look for signs of warping. If at least 25 percent of your wood shingles are damaged, replace the roofing material.
• If you have a metal roof, look for signs of pitting, corrosion, or gapping seams, as these can lead to leaks or underlay damage.

Trim the Trees

Dead tree limbs can fall on your roof and cause damage, especially when it’s raining or snowing. Trees that are leaning towards your house could also fall on your roof or allow squirrels and raccoons to pay your roof a visit. Twigs, leaves, and other debris can cause rotting, gutter blockage, termite invasion, and roof damage. If you want to avoid these problems, remove overhanging branches and make sure trees aren’t leaning towards your home.

Check the Gutters

One of the best ways to prepare for the cold season is to clean your gutters and see if they’re well-anchored. This allows rainwater and thawed snow to flow properly off your roofline, avoiding leaks and water damage to your home. Remove leaves and other debris from the gutters regularly throughout the fall. In addition to this, install gutter guards, as these ward off any debris that would invade your gutters.

If you haven’t examined your roof in the past several months, take care of this now!