Roof Repair: How to Fix up Your Home after a Long Winter

The long winter months can bring more than just holidays, feasting, bright lights, and family gatherings. It can also bring frigid weather conditions that are not only dangerous but destructive. Here are some do-it-yourself ways to fix common damages that occur to the roof of your home after a long winter.

Missing Roof Shingles

The conditions of a long, harsh winter can do an incredible amount of damage to the shingles on your roof. One of the most common issues your roof will experience during the long winter months is the loss of its shingles. Replacing a missing shingle is simple. Head up to your roof with a hammer, a set of new shingles, and roofing nails. Nestle the new shingle into the barren space, ensuring it’s resting beneath the flap of the upper shingle. Align the new shingle with the shingles on either side and then set the shingle permanently into place using the roofing nails.

Loose Gutters

When enough snow or ice is accumulated in a small area, the weight can become too much for your gutters. The weight of frozen water and piles of snow can lay on your gutters for months, loosening the nails or screws which hold them to your home. Professionals, like those at Charleston Roofs + Windows, know that this is all too true. To save yourself the money of calling in a professional roof and gutter repairman, there are several ways that you can fix a loose or sagging gutter yourself.

Excessive Attic Moisture

With the constant presence of snow and ice on your roof, this can cause a severe moisture build-up inside of your attic, which rests just below your roof. While this may not seem like a major issue initially, it can become very serious if left untreated. Excessive moisture in your attic can lead to the wood of your roof truss becoming rotted and weak. A weak roof truss can lead to a collapse of part or all of your roof. To repair this issue, place dehumidifiers in your attic and properly ventilate your attic to allow the moisture to escape rather than accumulate.

Shingle Leaks

The shingles on your roof can become warm from the heat within your home. This will cause snow on your roof to melt only to refreeze later when the temperature drops. This process is repeated every day until ice dams form on your roof. These ice dams can push your shingles around, allowing water to leak into your home. To fix this issue, try to scrape off as much excess snow from your roof as you can with a long-handled rake or broom.

Always practice extreme caution when doing any repairs to the roof of your home. Falling from a two-story home can cause severe, if not life-threatening, damage to your body.