Your Roof Is Calling You
Roof maintenance takes place in both your home's interior and exterior and should be done seasonally. As kids leave for school and leaves fall, your roof calls.

		Outdoors Trim back overgrown vegetation. Clean all debris off the roof and inside gutters and hose down. If the gutters are clogged, spray water inside them to clear. Be careful here. The hose will jam from suction if placed inside the drain. Remove crinkled caulking and roofing cement and reapply. Check flashing (metal areas) for warps and holes. Secure it to siding or other surface and reapply roofing cement. Apply roofing cement under loose asphalt shingles to secure.
Checking a loose shingle reveals a bad nail job — a likely leak spot.

Indoors

• Check vents and clear of obstructions; without them heat and moisture will build up in your attic causing damage to your roof and support beams.
• Install additional vents to prevent ice-damming (formation of icicles); you should have one square foot each of intake and exhaust ventilation for each 300 sq. foot of attic space.
• Install attic insulation to prevent icing.
• Inspect ceiling and dry wall from the baseboards up. If you see or feel moisture and/or discolored paint your roof could have a leak.

A problem roof can drain in ways that you could have never imagined. If left untreated the problem will only get worse.

		Quick Fixes Emergency situations call for quick fixes. But don't think these fixes are the ultimate solution. You'll still need to provide a permanent remedy. The most likely spot for a leak is where the roof meets a chimney, exhaust piping or structural interfaces. After you've found the suspicious spot, follow these suggestions: If you can see the leak in your attic, attach a string to the leak's location and place a bucket underneath. For small holes in the shingles or warps where the metal flashing meets another part of the roof or house, use some cold applied plastic cement, first making sure the area of the roof you are repairing is free of dust and debris. Patch a damaged shingle with a piece of metal flashing by placing it under the damaged area.
Yuck! What's all this is the gutter? Clean it out now or pay later.

		Help! Is your roof so bad that you need to call someone right away? Don't want to get ripped? Insist on a written proposal from a licensed, bonded professional. Make sure your roofer has agreements to apply special materials from the manufacturers. Get everything in writing from a proposal that lists payment schedule, start/end dates of work, and any other concerns you have. Contractors should offer both a contractor's warranty (for installation) and manufacturer's warranties (for materials). Ask for references and contact them
Does this look like a do-it-yourself job? Maybe you should consider hiring a pro.

Product Parade

During the past 10 years phenomenal advances have been made in the roofing industry. Roofs today require less upkeep and stay newer longer. A few of the advances are listed below. Ask your roofer for more.

• Concrete tiles: a maintenance free (but more expensive) choice.
• Go solar: Want energy efficiency? Look into solar cell shingles for part of your roof to provide alternative, money-saving energy to your home.
• Sprayed Polyurethane Foam (SPF): Insulated spray-on roof that keeps the hot air out during summer and cold air out during winter.
• Acrylic Elastomeric Coating: looks like paint; reflects sunlight.
• Fiberglass Shingles: Protect against all kinds of weather.