Is your roof aging but not quite ready to be replaced? Or are you trying to make it through one more season before you replace it? Budgeting for a new roof can take some planning and time, and getting ready before winter can help you to avoid issues once winter arrives.

No one wants to deal with roof leaks when there’s snow and ice on the roof. Heavy and frequent freeze-thaw cycles throughout the winter can also be particularly hard on a roof.

We have all felt the burden of the economy and inflation. We understand the need to maximize what we get out of everything big and small. A roof is no small thing, yet it protects one of the most expensive investments in our lives.

We have worked with many clients that pushed the pause button on roof maintenance, trying to make it through one more year, only to end up with a multitude of issues during the winter months. Preparing your roof – as well as other areas of your home’s exterior – prior to the winter season can help to save you headaches in the future.

When it comes to preparing your roof before cold weather arrives, one of the most important things to manage are pre-existing issues. If you have evidence of a roof leak somewhere, or if you are missing roof shingles, or your roof is aged and ready for replacement, call a roofing professional to come and do a roof inspection.

You should also request a quote to repair any leak issues, missing shingles, shingles with broken seals. Replacement patching and spot sealing can go a long way.

When it comes to getting your roof ready for winter, cleaning is also a minimally invasive and low-end expense that can be implemented. It is super important to make sure that gutters, downspouts, and drainage systems are clean and free of debris so they can drain properly.

You should aim to reduce the accumulation of leaf tree debris in your valleys, around chimneys or behind the upper ledge of skylights. Debris can cause water to run in unnatural directions, backwards, under shingles, damning up and then freezing. This can cause slow undetected leaks that can result in major damage over time, before you are ever alerted to a problem.

Chimneys – especially masonry – can be a source of many issues. To help prepare your roof for winter, making sure your chimney cap is intact and has not suffered any damage or corrosion that will allow water or heavy snow to penetrate is very important. This often gets missed. Most homeowners have metal caps or stone-concrete caps. It’s never unreasonable to consider a chimney cap could be compromised.

Flashing around the base of the chimney is also critical. Flashing can break down over time, it can get damaged from debris, it can come loose with movement of the chimney and settling of the home. Flashings should always be checked and sealed or replaced if compromised. This can be a mid-level cost pending the size of your chimney, but small in comparison to the damage that can come from leaking.

If your masonry is compromised, cracking, or defacing, this is a huge problem. There are sealants that can be purchased for temporary repairs if you don’t have a budget for masonry replacement or tuckpointing. But, as another winter approaches, and more freeze-thaw cycles take place, the Michigan weather can quickly compromise a chimney that needs maintenance.

Another important thing to consider is the design of your roof and if it has proper insulation and ventilation. When preparing your roof for winter, if you notice your roof has a low spot or ‘low pitch,’ either on a porch or where two roofs come together, it’s important to install heat tape in these areas so that when there is precipitation it doesn’t build up and freeze in these areas.

Stagnant water on a roof left to freeze can cause some very big issues, such as ice dams. Ice damming is a topic we have addressed in a separate blog, so if you are looking for information on ice damming and how to help address that issue, we encourage you to check it out.

One last thing to consider is whether your gutters have been compromised. Sometimes downspout extensions that help to drain water from upper roof sections to gutters on the lower roof sections go missing or get damaged. This can allow water to spill over gutters and run down walls and around windows.

When homeowners experience leaks, even when they are in the basement, their first thought is the roof. But, it’s not always the roof. Gutters are a huge part of a healthy roof, so if you have some gutter leaks or missing downspouts, get those leaks sealed or replace the downspouts.

Naturally, we are always happy to take a call and schedule an appointment if you run into issues or have concerns you want to address. If you’re in need of an evaluation or a repair, please give us a call to schedule an appointment today.

If you need a small repair under $750 to get you through the cold weather and you have us quote a replacement for spring, we will deduct the cost of the repair off of your replacement when you have your new roof installed in the spring.