5 Tips to Preparing Your Roof for Winter

With winter starting to approach, it’s time to start thinking about preparing your roof for the harsh Canadian weather. Although roofs serve a crucial structural role in every home, most people often disregard it. Proper and consistent roof maintenance is important for all homeowners who desire to have a durable and longer lasting roof.

Here are some tips to help you prepare your shingle roof for winter:

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1. Inspect Your Flashing

The flashing on your roof could wear out over time, causing significant leaks within the house. If left unchecked, these small leaks could cause more permanent damage on your roof. Therefore, it’s wise to check the regions surrounding your roof’s flashing. You could hire an expert roof assessor to inspect the roof thoroughly, ensuring that it’s entirely sealed. If the flashing is compromised, the roofing expert could help you fix the leaks. Roof flashing should be checked once or twice every year to ensure that storms don’t knock it loose.

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2. Cut all the surrounding tree branches

If there are trees growing near your house, it’s important to trim the hovering branches and sections that are touching your roof. The winter weather is normally quite severe – it could even cause branches on trees to inevitably fall off, leading to massive roof damage. To avoid such undesirable scenarios, trim off any branches and tree limbs that are lingering over your home’s roof. This will help you avoid unnecessary costs on roof fixes.

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3. Clean your roof and gutters

When was the last time you cleared the debris that accumulates on your roof over time? Some homeowners go for decades without giving their roof the proper attention it deserves. Before winter hits, clear your spouts, gutters and drains of any rubble. If you’re a handy individual who doesn’t mind sprucing up the roof yourself, this task will be a piece of cake. But if cleaning your roof isn’t your cup of tea, hiring a professional roof maintenance contractor could be a smart option for you. Ensure you tighten your gutter securely to avoid overflows that can ruin your roof and outside walls.

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4. Check for sagging regions on your roof

Sagging of the roof can be caused by a variety of reasons. For instance, the sheathing could get saturated or rotten. Framing issues could also lead to roof bending. In any case, it’s best to notify an expert roofing professional to conduct a proper roof inspection and issue a viable solution. If there’s an issue with the framing structure of your roof, allow a framing carpenter or architect to fix this issue for you. Remember, a stitch in time saves nine.

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5. Call Sapphire Roofing for your Free roof estimate

It might just be time to get your shingles replaced. Give us a call for your free estimate before the cold weather arrives!

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