The British summer time is always a brief affair, with days of glorious sunshine in between the inevitable downpours. But as the nights start drawing in and autumn approaches, now is the time to turn your attention back to the health and condition of your roof.
Ensuring that your home remains adequately sheltered over the colder, wetter months is crucial, and preparing your roof to cope with the elements is the best way to do this. Here are just some of the tasks to perform and things to look out for when assessing the state of your roof in the run up to autumn…
Trees and Foliage
One of the main threats to your roof comes from nearby trees and plants. With branches continuing to grow year-round, contact with your roof could cause damage to slates and tiles, and high winds could even see some of these blowing off and colliding directly.
The more trees there are close to your roof, the more leaves are likely to be falling into your gutters come autumn. Trimming back all trees and tall plants is an essential part of preparing your roof for colder weather, and should ideally be carried out before summer is completely over.
Clear all Guttering
As briefly mentioned above, leaves and other debris can accumulate in gutters, obstructing the drainage of rainwater and causing leaks that could be extremely costly to repair. The combination of leaves and rain also creates mulch that has a fiendish habit of blocking downpipes and drains; again, a highly expensive issue to rectify.
Although cleaning your gutters isn’t the most desirable way to spend a late summer’s day, it could save you hundreds in the long term, and is one of the most straightforward ways to prepare your roof for the onset of autumn.
Address Damaged Slates
Paying attention to any loose or impaired slates or tiles while the weather is still temperate is the best way to avoid leaks and water damage to the interior of your house. The best method is to simply replace any broken tiles or slates, removing the damaged one carefully (as well as any nails that hold it in. The replacement slate or tile can then be slid into place and nailed or clipped down.
These are just some of the steps that you can take to ensure that your roof is ready for the autumn months. However, remember that working at such heights can be dangerous if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing. Contacting a professional roofing company is the best way round this, as they will be able to send out trained experts to carry out all work in a safe and efficient manner. They will also be able to advise you further on other steps you can take to protect your roof over the colder period, and pinpoint any areas that may need special attention that you may not have noticed, such as the roofline or around the chimney stack.
Whatever work you determine needs to be performed, acting quickly before the seasons change is the key. So don’t neglect your roof this autumn, or you could find yourself with a damp house and a bill for some very costly repairs!