Keeping Water Out – Roof Edition

A roof is a home’s first line of defense against water intrusion.

While most shingle manufacturers offer a 30 year warranty, it is important to inspect your roof from time to time to ensure the shingles are holding up to the elements. Most homeowners can inspect their roofs on their own from a ladder (no need to crawl up on the roof!), but if you don’t own a ladder or feel that you would like to leave the climbing to the professionals, you can always contract a reputable roofing contractor and have them come take a look (see our advice on how to find a quality contractor).

Most damage occurs along the eaves, from natural wear-and-tear caused by sun damage, wind, snow pack, and ice dams. Ice dams can quickly become a serious problem in Minnesota, so be sure to read up on how to prevent them from forming. Inspect the south-facing side of your roof, as well as the windward side.

The visible damage that should raise flags are cracked shingles, slipping shingles, missing shingles, and shingles that have shed their granules (the tiny rocks that give shingles their gritty texture). All of these problems can be repaired by a quality roofing contractor.

Important note: NEVER hire a storm-chaser! If someone knocks on your door after a storm and offers you a discount on fixing your roof, odds are good they’re out to pull a con.

If your home has a chimney, you’ll want to take a look at that as well. Chimneys with bad flashing can be an entry point for water. If you see chunks of broken brick, fallen or missing mortar between the bricks, a missing chimney cap, or rust marks running down the roof from the flashing, you’ll want to call a chimney contractor to do a more thorough inspection.

Make sure that any wood-burning fireplace chimney is cleaned every fall before throwing a log on the fire. Chimney fires can catch and burn to a dangerous point well before it’s apparent that there’s a fire in your home.
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