Is Your Roof Ready For Spring?

It’s always a great feeling when the calendar page turns and you can sense the end of winter fast approaching. With spring right around the corner, you’ll likely have some work to do around the house. Among those tasks are cleaning up after winter storms, readying your flower beds for new flowers and tending to the new grass that made it from seeds to blades. You’ll also probably have some home maintenance chores to work through, and there’s no better time to do that than spring. 

The temperature is warmer but not hot, making it a comfortable time to beautify your house for summer. One maintenance area often ignored, but worthy of making it on your yearly list is the roof of your home. The blistering heat of summer, sitting piles of leaves in your roof valleys from fall, and the freeze/thaw cycles of winter, have a way of putting your roof through the wringer. So how do you know if your roof is ready for spring? Here is a spring checklist for roofs to start with. 

Annual Roof Inspection

Roofing expertise is essential in identifying the early signs of roof decay, potential leaks and roof damage. Yes, you can spot debris and roof areas where shingles have blown off, but it can be challenging to spot problems with the flashing or brittle shingles that need to be replaced. 

Over the course of a year, your home, and more specifically your roof, will sustain various amounts of damage. While visually, it might appear as if everything is fine, it’s important to have a roofing contractor perform an annual inspection, as the typical homeowner rarely knows all of the signs of deterioration.

It seems like an added expense you’d rather avoid, but it will save you money in the long term. Instead of paying for massive repairs, you should handle minor issues, just like you would see a doctor for your annual checkup or have your HVAC unit serviced. It’s best to discover and correct minor issues before anything more serious develops. 

Clean Your Gutters

You should clean out your gutters at least twice a year. Fall and spring are the best times of the year for this. All kinds of debris will pile up inside the gutters for the year. If you do not clean the gutters, you will be vulnerable to a few problems. Gutters are meant to direct water away from your home. It stands to reason that if a gutter is full of gunk and debris, it will not only perform that function poorly, but will allow water to back up into the soffit and fascia. Once the fascia begins to deteriorate, the clogged, now heavy gutters will start to pull away from the house. Once the fascia is rotted, you will be removing all gutters to repair and paint fascia and replacing the existing gutters if you want to regain their original function.

If you feel comfortable cleaning out the gutters, by all means, go out and do so. But, if you would rather avoid this chore, there are all kinds of service providers out there who can help clean the gutters as part of your spring cleaning. 

Clear Away Debris On The Roof

If your roof is inspected annually, you can have the debris cleared off. However, if you schedule your annual inspection in the fall, you will want to clear away any debris that has fallen onto your house during the previous seasons. Wind and heavy snow can cause branches to fall and collect onto your roof. This debris can then cause problems by damming up the water that should be flowing down your roof. So, whether you or a professional does it, clear away the debris collected on the roof. 

Cut Back Branches

We love large, robust trees. They are beautiful and can even help you save money on your energy bills as they keep your house shaded. The problem, though, is when branches hang over your home. There are a number of reasons this is problematic. To begin with, a strong wind gust is often capable of blowing limbs on or through your roof. These overhanging branches also make it easier for little critters to make their way onto your roof. From squirrels and mice to raccoons and other animals, they are always looking for places to nest. This can mean on your roof, or finding their way into the attic from the roof. 

Calling animal control to take care of a raccoon nest in your attic is no fun. Thankfully, you can help avoid this by having the tree branches trimmed away from your home. 

Schedule Your Spring Roof Inspections Today

It is a good idea to have your roof inspected annually. Your roof goes through a great deal throughout the year, and yet it can prove difficult to spot damage and areas of concern from the ground. Even if you scale your house for a closer look, you may need to know what to look for and how to spot problems to avoid missing signs of possible damage. Instead of waiting for a minor issue to develop into a significant problem, it is best to have your roof inspected. It will save you money in the long run and give you peace of mind knowing your roof is healthy.

To help tackle your spring roof maintenance checklist, now is the perfect opportunity to schedule your annual roof inspection with Charlotte Roofing Specialists. Let a professional  take the risk of roof walking, and it will be one less thing for you to worry about as the weather turns warmer. Here at Charlotte Roofing Specialists, we are just a phone call away. Give us a ring and let’s schedule a time to inspect your roof!