You can finally open the windows, get some fresh air, mow your growing lawn and start to get to work on the gardens you have been dreaming about all winter! All of these things are absolutely enjoyable for Spring, but don’t forget about maintaining your roof! Doing so will help extend the life of your roofing system and gutters.

Here are a couple items to consider when starting your list for your roof:

Tree limbs: Make sure tree limbs don’t touch a roof, so get out the tree trimming shears. Limbs touching your home will reduce the life of your roof – they can easily scrape over the shingles and loosen the protective granules.

Leaves and pine needles: Anything that traps moisture will cause mildew to form, block gutters, or cause extra weight on the roof – that includes leaves and pine needles. A rake or air blower can be used to clear the roof, but take care not to damage the shingles.

Moss: Seeing a little green fuzzies on top of your home? Most likely that is moss. To reduce moss growth, cutting back the trees and chance of tree debris falling will help. It will also allow sunlight. Moss likes shady damp areas. While there are chemicals available on the market to get rid of moss, the runoff can cause damage to plants.

Mold: Mold, algae, and fungus can eat away at the roofing material and eventually cause damage. A treatment of chlorine bleach or copper sulfate solution applied with a garden sprayer can kill the mold – again – watch out for your plants! We install GAF algae-resistant shingles that have a specially formulated granule that inhibits algae growth, in addition to shingles with StainGuard®Protection.

Gutter damage: Clogged gutters from debris and those old leaves from last fall? Get the gutters and their screens cleared out. Before the next Spring storm, check to make sure water can flow easily through the gutters and fix any loose nails that are preventing the gutters from sitting tightly along the roof line.

Missing shingles, chimney, and flashing: coCheck for vulnerable areas on your roof around edges, vents, valleys. Also check your fascia and soffit for damage. If you are unable to do so, we offer free inspections to determine issues with missing shingles, chimney or flashing damage, vents, and other potential areas that need some TLC.

Another tip: Do not power wash shingles! It can dislodge granules and cause premature shingle failure