A roof lasts longer when someone looks at it twice a year and fixes the small things. That is most of roof maintenance. It takes about an hour each time, and most of it you can do with your feet on the ground.
The season-by-season list
Late winter, before hail season
- Walk around the house and look at the roof from each side. Binoculars help.
- Look for shingles that are lifted, cracked, curled or gone.
- Take a few dated photos from the same spots each time.
- Clean the gutters so spring rain has somewhere to go.
Summer
- Check the attic on a hot day. If it feels like an oven, ask about adding vents.
- Look at the rubber collars around the plumbing pipes. Sun cracks them.
- Trim branches back from the roof.
Fall
- Clean the gutters again after the leaves drop.
- Clear leaves out of the valleys, the low lines where two slopes meet.
- Check flashing, the metal strips that seal the joints around chimneys, walls and vents. Look for gaps, rust or lifted edges.
After any big storm
- Look for shingle pieces in the yard and grit at the downspouts.
- Check ceilings and the attic for new stains over the next week.
What you can do yourself
- Look from the ground and from the attic.
- Clean gutters from a steady ladder, with a helper holding it.
- Trim small branches you can reach from the ground.
- Keep a folder with photos, dates and any repair bills.
What to leave to a roofer
- Anything that means walking on the roof. Falls are the big risk, and foot traffic wears shingles, most of all in summer heat.
- Replacing shingles, pipe collars or flashing.
- Sealing around chimneys and skylights.
- Any soft spot, sag or leak.
Skip the pressure washer. It blasts off the grit that shields shingles from the sun. If dark streaks or moss bother you, ask a roofer about a gentle wash made for shingles.
Small fixes that pay off
A few cheap repairs prevent most leaks on a roof that is otherwise sound:
- A cracked pipe collar swapped for a new one.
- A lifted shingle sealed back down before the wind tears it off.
- A nail that has backed out, reset and sealed.
- Loose flashing fastened and sealed.
- A sagging gutter rehung so water runs to the downspout. If the gutters are past saving, see gutter installation.
None of these means you need a new roof. A fair roofer will tell you so.
What to do next
If your walk-around turns up something that looks off, get it fixed while it is still small. Legacy Roofing is based in Crowley and does roof repairs in Burleson, Joshua, Mansfield, Fort Worth and nearby towns. Ask for a written price before any work starts.
