As crisp, brown leaves fall off the trees and crinkle underfoot, your thoughts might be mainly on conkers and Halloween preparations rather than checking the state of your roof. However, a roof left neglected can pick up issues before you realise, including along its roofline.
The roofline marks where the roof meets the rest of the house and is especially vulnerable to weather-induced damage. Hence, you should set aside time to carry out the following checks.
Clear leaves and debris from your gutters
It would be best to do this after nearby trees have entirely shed their leaves. However, as you obviously want your ladder to stay in place, be careful how you place that ladder against plastic gutters or pipework. Ideally, you should use a ladder in combination with an extension bracket.
From that ladder, you can also look out for cracks and leaks in your downpipes and gutters – but The Inverness Courier urges readers unsteady on ladders to “call in the professionals” instead.
Opt for a gutter guard
Though the Scottish news site advocates clearing gutters of leaves and debris at least once yearly to prevent blockages, you could instead have a gutter guard fitted to save yourself even that task.
The Telegraph explains that gutter guards “ingeniously prevent moss, leaves and debris from blocking up the gutters”. This is a particular boon considering how easily you could forget to clean out gutters manually instead – and, of course, the potential safety risks of doing so anyway.
Watch out for peeling paint
You could spot this on your fascia (your roofline’s horizontal surface with guttering attached) or soffits (used for connecting your roof’s overhang to the home’s side) if your home has a fascia or soffits made of timber and, hence, painted to enhance their aesthetic appeal.
As timber fascias and soffits need repainting regularly, you should consider switching to uPVC for those elements of your roofline, as you could still beneficially bring fresh colour to that roofline.
If your fascia suffering from water ingress?
One warning sign of this would be if you see water pouring down your walls, as loose or blocked guttering can be a culprit for this. When damage is inflicted to the soffit and fascia boards, water can be allowed to trickle through to the roof rafters.
If you suspect damage but aren’t sure exactly what to look out for, a local roofing firm might be able to help by assessing that roof’s condition for you – perhaps even for free.
Don’t delay roofing repairs for longer than necessary
While you might be able to repair minor damage yourself, a certain amount of damage will call for a roofing professional’s touch. The roofline’s height and, for the average householder, the serious difficulty of checking progress made with work means that you need a trustworthy professional.
Whether the required roof repair is in Newcastle, Durham or anywhere else, it should be provided before winter sets in and potentially worsens the existing damage and, hence, cost of repairing it.