There’s nothing better than having a sturdy roof over your head as the rain beats down. Scratch that, there’s nothing worse than having a leaky roof during storm season. But with our weather patterns growing more unpredictable and our winters becoming increasingly chilly across Australia, keeping your roof in tip-top shape from season to season has become more important than ever.
On top of protecting you from adverse weather, your roof is a vital part of the structure of your house. Having a top-down approach to maintaining the structural integrity of your home will not only keep you comfortable from season to season, but can also keep your family safe and your property immune to strong winds, hail, sleet, and other potentially destructive weather conditions.
Although most of us don’t need to worry about protecting our roofs from extreme weather like heavy snow, our winter months can still deliver an elemental battering, to say the very least. Autumn is the best time to begin considering how to protect your roof and calling in home repair services if necessary, lest the cracks start to show come our biting winter season.
Here are a few roof care tasks that all responsible homeowners should be adding to their autumn to-do list.
Clear out your gutters
If you haven’t checked and cleared your gutters in a while, then the time to do it is now. Bits of debris and other foreign objects can easily clog up your home’s gutters in short order. And clogged gutters can lead to a build-up of excess moisture, which can in turn lead to water damage to your roof, especially if your gutters are still clogged once the rainy season arrives.
You should be cleaning your gutters between two to four times per year. This will of course vary based on a few factors, like the size of your home, the style of your roof, and if there are any overhanging trees on your property. Regular visual checks should be able to tell you how often you should be clearing out your gutters.
Pad out your home insulation
If you live in regions that receive snowfall, you’ll likely already know the benefits associated with roof insulation. Snow buildup is likely to melt as the hot air rises in the house. The snow can create ice dams which prevent water draining off your roof through the gutters properly, which can then leak into the home. The excess weight could also lead to undue stress on the support structures of the house!
Whilst one of the main advantages of roof insulation is extra warmth for those living in alpine regions, there are still a slew of benefits to properly insulating your roofing, walls, and flooring even if you’re living in built-up areas. Adding insulation into your roofing, walls, and under your floorboards is a great way to ensure that your property can retain heat, cutting down on energy bills and even reducing the risk of mould development.
If you have existing home insulation, you may even consider updating or adding to your insulation materials. This is a great measure to take if you’ve noticed that your home gets particularly colder during the winter months.
Trim trees surrounding your property
If you have any tall trees on your property, it’s imperative that you manage their overhanging branches and any foliage attached to them, as these have the potential to cause damage to your roof alongside clogging up your gutters during the winter months. If tree branches hang close to your roof, adverse weather conditions may cause them to sag or be pushed up against your roof shingles, potentially causing damage which may even result in leaks.
There is also the risk of strong winds causing branches to drop directly onto your roof, which can result in more severe damage like the development of holes, gaps, or cracks. This could even cause structural damage to your property, depending on the size of any fallen branches.
And returning to your guttering once more, the proximity of trees to your property will also affect the rate at which roof gutters are clogging with leaves. All things considered, it’s in your best interests to keep overhanging trees neatly trimmed all year round, but particularly so in the lead-up to winter.
Check for any signs of existing damage
Roof shingles can often be quite sturdy, but once cracks start to show, the health of your roof can go downhill surprisingly fast. It only takes one cracked roof tile to make way for a water leak. That’s what makes routine roof inspections an absolute must for all homeowners.
It’s common to begin roof inspections in your attic or in your roof cavity, this being the space between your ceiling and the interior side of your roof. Bring a flashlight to check for any signs of damage on the interior of your roof – water damage, holes, or any misshapen areas.
Once this internal inspection has been conducted, it’s time to grab a ladder and head up on your roof. Look for visual damage and any excess of debris upon the roof. Also keep an eye out for signs of rotting, lichen, or algal growth. And remember that it’s best to call a professional repair service when it comes to fixing this damage.
Check for animals
If there is already pre-existing damage to your roof that you are now seeking to repair, be mindful of the possibility that opportunistic small animals or insects may have entered into your roof cavity or even into the walls of your home. Animals can gain entry to your roof via overhanging branches. From here, branches that have fallen onto your roof could create holes that animals can use to enter your roof cavity in order to seek refuge from harsh winter weather.
If you can hear scratching from inside your walls, then there is a high likelihood that an animal hasn’t gotten in through damaged areas of your roof. If this is the case, your best bet at that stage may be to call in a pest control expert, followed by a roof repair service.
Completing all of these items over autumn can help reduce your risks of experiencing roof damage at the worst time of the year it could possibly occur. But whilst taking these measures can help reduce the likelihood of roof damage occurring, there’s simply no guarantee that your roof will stay in perfect shape all throughout the winter season. For instance, electrical damage may occur during storms, or gaps in your roof tiling can go undetected until signs of water damage are actually visible from your ceiling.
If you feel that your roof is in need of repairs at any point during the winter season, then be sure to call your local home repair service providers when you can. It’s always best to be as proactive as possible when it comes to maintaining the health and structural integrity of your roof.
Image: Supplied.
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