Winter can be especially harsh on a house's roof, and it’s almost never a good idea to simply wait for spring before addressing the issues that the presence of snow and ice on your roof can cause. Five of the main winter roof damage problems t hat homeowners should be aware of are listed below, along with some advice on how to best manage them. 1. Ice Dam Formation When warm air rises from your heated living spaces, it warms the shingles of your roof and the snow that covers it. This leads to snow melting and dripping down to the colder edges of the roof where it refreezes as ice. Once the ice grows thick enough, it backs up further snow-melt behind it, causing water to seep under the shingles, and eventually into your home through leakage points. Leaks are made the more likely when backed up water freezes and thaws, working its way into nooks and crannies and expanding them. The number one way to prevent an ice dam is by insulating and ventilating your attic, bu...

Spring is on the way! And the warmer temperatures provide the perfect conditions for melting snow on lawns and driveways. As much as we are jumping for joy for this, hiding beneath larger piles of snow is a less than welcome sign of spring – a fungus called snow mould. Spores from the mould can cause sneezing, wheezing, itchy eyes and, in more severe cases, trouble breathing. Spores are the reproductive cells of the mould. It’s something that comes around every year. It likes the cold. It thrives in the zero-to-seven-degrees temperature range and it likes environments where there is plenty of organic material. The trick is to get the snow to melt quickly. As soon as the snow is exposed to good temperatures, the mould doesn’t survive. Snow mould spores are not in the snow but grow in the moist soil underneath. Once the snow melts, the mould leaves circular grey or pink patches of unhealthy looking grass. But by that point, the spores have escaped into the air. Is snow mould pr...