Maintain

Once a year you should check your roof cladding, chimneys and flashings. We recommend avoiding climbing on your roof yourself, but if you must please wear an appropriate safety harness and soft-soled, non-skid shoes (and place your feet carefully as roofing can be easily damaged). Use our Check your roof section for a guide on what to check.

Trees can cause many problems for roofs of all types. Overhanging branches can scratch and gouge roofing materials when blown by the wind; falling branches can damage or puncture shingles and other roofing materials, and falling leaves can clog gutters and valleys causing water to back up or run down behind the fascia.

Trees that are adjacent to the house should be kept well-trimmed.

Keep your gutters clear of leaves and debris.

Roofing should be regularly washed with clean water to avoid a build-up of dirt, salts and other debris – particularly in those areas which get little rain on them. A dirty roof leads to rust on steel roofs, and moss & lichen growth. Most manufacturers’ warranties require regular washing, particularly in areas that don’t get rain such as under the eaves. You may need to wash the roof more often in coastal, geothermal or highly industrial areas to keep salt, sulphur and other deposits to a minimum. You can either do this yourself or hire a professional roofing cleaner to do the job for you.

We have a number of recommended roof cleaning partners that we work with. Give us a call or email and we’ll recommend someone for you.

It is also important to clean your gutters and rainwater systems on a regular basis. You need to make sure your gutters are clear from debris, and that there are no holes or water ponding in any areas.