Kitchen Remodeling: Working It into Every Budget

The time that you spend on home maintenance caring for your yard and the exterior of your home should include taking steps to further protect your home from future damage. This is done by installing the right protective features and barriers against home damage. Your roof and gutter systems are no different, as they need regular care and the right system to deliver rainfall from your rooftop to the landscaping below. The following provides you with some tips to have a strong and well-protected home roof and gutter system.

Look at Your Specific Roof Needs 

Every home is different with its needs for drainage and protection. The slope of your roof, the orientation to the sun and shade patterns of the seasons, the valley created by any gables or dormer windows, and the presence of a chimney, skylight, and ventilation openings will all create a different environment for your home and its gutter drainage. 

The best option is to hire a roofing professional to check out your home for any drainage deficiencies in the roof, for example, and where the roof drains onto the surrounding landscaping. They may find that the edge of one of the roof's eaves is leaking from cracks or a gap in the gutter. Your home may also not have any gutters installed along one roof's edge due to a builder error or negligence and it is recommended to install gutters at that spot. 

Your roofing professional will check to see where water flows from your roof and how it affected the surrounding landscape. For example, is the flow out of a downspout eroding away at the ground soil? If so, they can add a gutter downspout extension or place erosion control materials, such as gravel or a concrete block to prevent erosion. If you have several trees in your yard or surrounding your home, they can drop leaves and pine needles into your gutters. This, over time, will block the gutter flow and require regular cleaning. Or you can install gutter guards along the gutters to protect them from clogs and blockage.

Take Care of Maintenance

After you have improved your roof's gutters with any additions, repairs, or gutter guards, make sure you take care of them on at least a yearly basis with cleaning and an inspection. Gutters that are aging or have experienced ice damage in the winter may start to crack and leak onto the soil and into your home's foundation. 

Gutter guards are a great protection against clogs, but they need to be maintained and checked along with your gutters. A great working gutter guard may still occasionally get the errant twig stuck in its mesh, which can collect more debris and result in a drainage problem.

To learn more, contact a gutter guard installation service in your area.