Roofing is a highly seasonal business. Roofers are, in fact, available all year long for emergencies and repairs, but here in Michigan, there’s a big difference between winter and summer in terms of roofing safety. Icy roofs are slippery, poor weather can delay scheduled services, and even the shingle adhesive works differently in cold weather. Traditionally, roofing shifts to attic maintenance, inspections, and emergency-based services in the winter.
For Canton, Michigan homeowners, this means that Autumn is the ideal time to think seriously about your roof. If your roof has lingering repairs to conclude or a few little issues you’d like to inspect, now is the time. After all, you want your roof in top condition and ready to withstand a winter of snowfall before the first real storm blows in.
Every home is unique in its roofing needs. One home may need attic care, another may need the gutters reattached. Another may have a yearly problem with ice dams to resolve, another may have a crumbling chimney or separated flashing.
For roof care, leak prevention, home comfort, and energy efficiency, it’s always smart to use the fall as your roof inspection, repair, and planning season.
Taking Care of Autumn Repairs Promptly
Spring and summer are the peak seasons for roofing work, but they’re not the only seasons. If there are any repairs that your roof needs before winter, autumn is your last chance to take care of them. Of course, you don’t have to know about a roof issue for it to become a problem later. This means that if you have not had a recent roof inspection in the last year or so, this autumn is the right time to schedule one.
You can also take a walk around your home and through your attic to determine if you can see any signs of damage or issues worth investigating before the first winter snows. Taking care of any of these issues promptly will ensure that your home is cozy and will likely not need emergency repairs during the snow-covered months of a Canton, Michigan winter.
Signs of Damage and Inspection
Walk around your home and look at the roo from the outside. Look for signs of roughness or sections of the roof that don’t match the others. Look for smooth vs buckled or sagging lines. Look for gutters that are lined up vs separated or sagging.
Walk through your attic and look for signs of dampness, drafts, or gaps. Check on the insulation, and if its in good shape.
Consider calling for a roof inspection to investigate your concerns or to confirm that your roof really is ready to take on the next Michigan winter.
Scheduling Repairs in Clear Autumn Weather
Autumn is the ideal time to take care of any repairs found as the weather starts to cool. The clear weather is essential for taking care of both minor and major roof repairs before the first snows fall. Your roofing contractors will help you book all repairs promptly so that the work is completed before bad weather has time to blow in.
Preparing Your Canton Home for the Winter Snows
Winter preparation in the fall is a big part of being a Michigan homeowner. The transition from season to season is part of what makes living here so satisfying. Of course, there is also a considerable checklist when it comes to home winter maintenance. A bit part of that is preparing your roof to withstand a few months under layers of snow and against the occasional tearing blizzard.
It’s important to make sure your roof is in top condition with secure shingles, sturdy gutter anchors, and ice-dam prevention already in place. If there are any underlying maintenance concerns or existing damage, Autumn is the perfect time to get through that roof care checklist before the first snow.
Schedule an Inspection
Start by scheduling an autumn inspection. This will give you the perspective you need on all potential repair issues to take care of before winter and how your long-term maintenance calendar looks as well. An inspection will likely include looking at the top of your roof, the flashing, the gutters, and the inside of your attic.
Consult With Your Roof Inspector
When the inspection is done, talk with your inspector about all the concerns worth noting. They may recommend immediate repairs before winter or leave you with a few notes on long-term maintenance to schedule for next Spring.
Take Care of Repairs Before Winter
Except for extensive work and full roof installation, most roof repairs needed can be scheduled immediately for autumn work. This is vital, to ensure that your roof is in top condition before the first snowfall.
Explore Your Roof Maintenance Timeline
Talk to your roofing contractor about any repairs necessary and when to take care of them. Small repairs can be booked now while bigger projects – like home remodeling or roof rebuilding – can be scheduled for an early appointment slot in the Spring.
Attic Maintenance and Winter Roof Health
Your attic is a vital part of winter roof maintenance. Not everyone realizes how important insulation, airflow, and the occasional beam inspection can be. Signs of moisture in the attic can be early indications of leaks and trouble with the roof shingles or underlayment. And the way heat (or cold) moves through your attic determines whether ice dams form and how much it will cost to heat your home this winter.
Your Canton, Michigan roofers can tell you with a quick attic inspection how best to improve your entire winter home experience.
– Inspect for Mold, Rot, and Drafts
Mold, rot, and cold drafts are all signs of leaks in your roof structure. Mold likes to grow in damp wood, and damp wood also has a tendency to become soft and rot away. Cold drafts are air leaking in where moisture certainly could if it were raining. The autumn is a good time to spot both sunbeams and feel cold drafts during a daytime attic inspection. Trust your nose and your inspector’s eyes to spot mold and rot.
Signs of moisture or gaps can be repaired immediately and long-term material replacement can be planned for next Summer if there is concerning structural softening.
– Check Fasteners, Beams, and Boards
Much of your roof structure can be observed from the underside in your attic, provide the attic doesn’t have a finished ceiling. Allow your roofers to take a close look at the beams, the boards, and any fasteners that are visible from the attic walk-through. This can tell them (and you) the total health and state of your roof from within.
– Warm Air Ventilation and Roof Melt-Off
Ventilation is a vital part of Michigan roof and attic design, to prevent snow buildup and ice dams by encouraging melt-off. When warm air passes underneath your roof, it gently warms the shingles which melts the lowest layer of snow or ice on your roof. This creates a slick that ideally helps the entire pile slide off safely before too much weight builds on the rooftop.
Between your Dearborn roofers and HVAC professionals, you can customize and optimize your attic ventilation to ensure an efficient and ice-free winter for your roof.
– Insulation vs Ice Dams and Home Energy
Insulation in your attic is also important, as it prevents the penetration of cold and the escape of heat through your attic. When ice dams can’t cause your attic to become cold, they are less likely to form. This is especially important in the tight spaces around the beams, fasteners, and in the far corners of the attic.
Insulation is also essential for maintaining your home’s energy efficiency. Heat often escapes through the attic when it mixes with extreme cold from the roof. Insulation creates a barrier that keeps your warm air in and prevent the roof from getting too cold. Together, this can lower your winter heating bill and protect the integrity of your roof.
Major Roof Repairs in the Michigan Autumn
Major roof repairs are best done before the weather turns too cold. This makes Autumn an important season for homeowners. Any serious roofing work that needs doing before your roof is winter-ready must be finished at the end of fall. This ensures that roofers can be wrapped up and off the roof before conditions become too icy for safe work.
If you have yet to take care of a known roof repair issue or if the inspection reveals serious underlying issue, you and your roofing contractor will need to have these concerns taken care of immediately. Prompt scheduling is the key to autumn roof care so that you can fit all necessary repairs in before the turn of the season into Winter.
Schedule an Inspection
Most roofing repairs start with an inspection. For major and whole-home repairs, an inspection is even more important. Major repairs are not exception. Even if you know what the problem is and where, a quick inspection will help confirm the damage that you have seen before and to ensure there is no further damage. Often with major roof damage, the trouble goes deeper than the visible symptoms and it’s important to know before the next storm rolls in.
Determine High-Priority Repairs
Once the inspection is complete, review any necessary repairs with your roofing contractor. There are some issue that you can and should reschedule for next Spring. However, high-prioritty repairs should be taken care of before the season has a chance to change. Winter snows can really tax a roof so everything from the shingles to the underlying structure must be ready to withstand the weight of snow and the force of winter blizzard winds.
Prioritize your repairs from most to least important and talk about what repairs would be best in each season.
Schedule Around Autumn Weather
The next step is to schedule your emergency repairs. Be understanding if poor Autumn weather has already begun to blow in. Roofing cannot take place when it is raining or snowing, and it is more difficult in extreme cold. Use the natural balance of Autumn weather to make time for your roofing repairs. If a repair must be rescheduled due to poor weather, know that your Dearborn roofing team is working as fast as they can.
Scheduling Your Home’s Next Roof Installation
Last but certainly not least is preparing for your next home roof installation. If autumn is the time when you take care of roofing maintenance, then also get a prospectus on when your next roof installation will be needed. Rooftops don’t last forever. Every 15-20 years, your roof will need to be replaced with all-new structure and shingles. This ensures that your roof never has time to build up too much a problem and that your home is protected by new shingles with their full performance available.
Inspection and Roof Age
If you know your roof’s age, then you don’t need an inspection to tell you that the expiration year is coming up. However if, like many homeowners, you have no idea when your house’s roof was last installed, then an inspection is extremely useful in getting a timeline on your home’s roof installation needs. A roofing inspector can explore the shingles, underlayment, and beams to tell you almost exactly how old a roof is and when you will next need a roofing installation service.
Planning Ahead for Your New Roof
As you may have guessed, Winter is a bad time for roof installation. Installing an entire roof, or just demolishing a roof, requires hours of an entire team working together on the roof – sometimes for multiple days. To this end, you’re best best is to schedule a new roof installation for warm weather when you get a chance.
Instead of installing your roof now, schedule your roof installation for next Spring or Summer when you have free time and the weather is nice.
Here in Canton, Michigan, roofers are always ready to help out local homeowners. At Twelve Oaks Roofing we understand how important roofing is to withstand the seasonal storms and Fall is your last chance to get the house in ship-shape before the snows. Whether you are an individual homeowner, an investment property owner, or even a commercial property owner, we can help with your roofing needs. Contact us today by calling 248-525-6950 for roofing services in Canton, Michigan.