Michigan winters are hard on a roof. Months of snow load, ice, and freeze and thaw cycles leave their mark, and spring is the time to find out what the season did before the rain arrives. A simple once-over now catches small problems while they are still small and cheap. Here is a practical spring checklist for your roof and the system around it.
Start from the ground
You can learn a surprising amount without ever leaving the yard. Walk the perimeter of the house with a pair of binoculars and look the roof over carefully.
Scan for shingles that are missing, cracked, curling, or lifted after winter winds.
Look for dark patches or streaks that can signal worn or aging shingles.
Check the flashing around chimneys and vents for anything bent, loose, or pulled away.
Look along the rooflines for sagging or dips that were not there before.
Check the gutters and downspouts
Spring rain puts your gutters back to work, so clear them out and confirm they are doing their job. Remove the leaves and debris that built up over winter, then watch how water moves during the next rain. Pay attention to a few things:
Granules collecting in the gutters, which point to aging shingles.
Sagging sections or spots where the gutter has pulled away from the fascia.
Downspouts that are clogged or that discharge right at the foundation.
Overflow during normal rain even when the gutters look clear.
Look inside the attic
The attic often shows roof problems before the outside does. On a bright day, head up with a flashlight and look for daylight coming through the roof boards, water stains or streaks on the wood, damp or matted insulation, and any sign of mold or frost. These point to leaks or ventilation problems that are easy to miss from outside and important to catch early.
Clear what is around the roof
Trim back branches that overhang or rub against the roof, since they drop debris, hold moisture against the shingles, and give animals a path up. Clear any leaves and debris that have collected in roof valleys or around chimneys and vents, where trapped moisture shortens the life of the roof.
Know what to leave to a professional
The single most important rule of roof maintenance is to stay safe. You do not need to climb onto the roof to do a good spring check, and you should not climb a wet, steep, or damaged one at all. The detailed, up-close inspection is exactly what a professional is for. We have the equipment to look closely, document what we find with photos, and tell you whether something needs attention now or can wait.
Why spring is the right time
Catching a lifted shingle or a bit of loose flashing in spring is simple maintenance. Letting it ride until a summer storm drives water into the deck is an expensive repair. A short spring checkup, paired with a professional inspection every year or two, is one of the cheapest ways to protect the roof over your head.
Want a professional set of eyes on your roof after winter? We provide thorough, photo-documented inspections across the Ann Arbor area with honest recommendations. Reach out to schedule your free inspection.