Saturday Shots: Roof Work!

It's Saturday! Instead of waiting for something to go wrong with your house, be preventive. After a couple shots of morning espresso, let's spend 15 minutes taking a quick look around... and maybe making a couple of quick repairs.

Saturday Shots: Roof Work!

Last week, we looked for rodents. This week, let's prevent water leaks where they are most common... where your roof has holes in it. Grab the ladder and someone to cheer you on.

• before you step on the roof... be sure you're not going to do additional damage. Clay tiles can be extremely fragile. Severely curled shingles will be broken if you step on them, risking additional damage. Any hesitation about safety or doing damage should be heeded regardless of my frivolous urging you to get on the roof.
• Shingles should not be loose, damaged, blistered, or missing.
• check the flashing around your chimneys, skylights, and any other pipes (usually vents) that stick up through the roof. The water should not be able to get through cracks... if you can't visualize the water flow, pour a little water on and watch what it does. 
• check the chimney cap and mortar. The cap (keeps sparks in and animals out) should be in place and clear of soot. The mortar should be solid and in place. A chimney sweep has the skills and tools to assess and repair any chimney concerns you have. 
• check the gutters and down-spouts to be sure that they're attached and clear of debris. (I just found a small pine tree growing in my gutters.) Be sure down-spouts direct water away from the foundation.
• vents, louvers, and chimneys should be clear of nests with no sign of insects.

When you're done, I'd recommend making notes in a small notebook or computer file, in case you find something similar in a couple months or years. 

Years ago, I thought I knew how to use a ladder. I probably thought I knew everything. I'd been up and down hundreds of times and the ladder had only moved a couple of times. Then, a fireman from Cape Cod, Larry, taught me how to safely use an extension ladder. Before you grab the ladder, do a quick review... pay extra attention to Tips 1 & 5. 

Until next week's 15-Minute Check-up, enjoy your day off!

~ Jon

"A shot of prevention is better than a venti of cure." 

The Fine Print: Because of the general nature of this advice and the individual application thereof, neither the Merriam Agency nor Jon Barron assume any responsibility for any loss, cost, damage, injury or expense which may be incurred or suffered as a result of the use of this information or your own foolishness.