After a snow-filled winter here in Oakland County Michigan, spring is finally on its way. It’s time for taking long walks, gardening, and enjoying the outdoors. It’s also time for spring cleaning. While people spend time clearing out their closets and wiping down windows, they tend to neglect more important parts of the home, like their roof. Yes, even your roof needs some attention and maintenance in the spring. Are you up for the task? If so, we at Martino Home Improvements have created a spring roofing guide to help you. Finding damage earlier is the best way to prevent additional costs later.
1. Inspect Shingles
To be thorough, you have to get out your ladder and really look at your shingles. What you want to look for while you’re up there is peeling or missing shingles, as well as any shingles that have lost their grain (if you have asphalt shingles). The grain acts as UV protection and without it your shingles will become brittle and break. If you spot this, or any missing or peeling shingles, it’s time to call a roofer to replace or fix them.
2. Clear Moss and Mold
Be very careful about how you do this. Some people see the thick moss and think that the only way to remove it is with a power washer. We don’t recommend this, as it can damage your shingles. Instead, spray a moss remover solution and then use a long handled broom to gently clear it off. You can find this solution at most hardware stores.
3. Tighten Up Bolts
This only applies to people with metal roofs. If you have a metal roof, you need to find any loose bolts and tighten them. This will help keep the spring rains from penetrating your roof and leaking into your home.
4. Clean Gutters and Downspouts
It’s important that you do a thorough job when cleaning your gutter and downspouts. If you don’t, the spring rains won’t properly drain off of your roof, leaving your home at risk of leaks and roof cave ins. Take the time to scoop out any debris in your gutter. Then clear out the entrance and exit of your downspout. You’ll also want to take the extra step of securing your gutter if it’s loose.
5. Check and Repair Flashings
Flashings are the metal strips that seal the gaps between your chimney and your roof. The winter winds and snow may have caused the flashings to come loose. If this happened to your flashings you need to tack them down. If they’re not secure, rain will leak into your home.
6. Clean Out Fascias and Soffits
Fascias are the bands that run horizontally under the edge of the roof and soffits are the surface below the fascias. During the cold winter months, small animals like to nest in these areas because they tend to be warm. You should clear out any nests that animals have built in the soffits and fascias and clean the area. When done right these six simple tasks, can save you thousands of dollars on roof repairs in the future.
Have a Roofing Expert take a look
While it is definitely worthwhile to take a look at your roof yourself, there are a lot of hidden dangers that it might take an expert to find. When we do a roof inspection, we have specialized tools like thermal cameras, thermal sensors and moisture sensors to detect damaged areas where heat and moisture can be can be coming through. We also will inspect your attic to look for damaged wood from heat or moisture. If you would like us to come to your home and perform a free roof inspection, give us a call today at 248-629-9260.
