Regardless if you have time off for the holidays, or you will be trying to get everything hung or taken down on a weekend, taking care when removing or hanging holiday decorations is a must. More often than not, our roofing professionals in Michigan make roofing repairs caused by putting up or taking down holiday decorations. We want to make sure you know how important it is to take care when doing your decorations this year!
Avoid Roofing Damage When Hanging or Removing Holiday Decorations
You may not think about it when you are hanging your decorations, but you can easily cause damage to your roof. Many times homeowners will use their roofs or gutters for leverage when they are hanging decorations. Doing so can cause gutters to fall, or the edges of your shingles to break away. Also, if you are relying on gutters to hold you up while you hang your lights, your safety may be at risk. Another common mistake is to lean your extendable ladder against your roof. This can also cause shingle or gutter damage during the winter.
Be sure to use adhesive plastic hooks to hang your lights. They are not recognizable, and can even stay up for a few years. Using nails or screws to serve as a place to hang your lights can also cause damage, by creating small holes which may result in roof leaks. Take caution in the amount of weight that you add to your gutters, remember that heavy snowfall or ice already can wreak havoc on a gutter system.
Be sure to think twice about how you hang your lights. Ask yourself “will this cause damage to my roof?” In addition, be careful! The last thing anyone needs especially around the holiday is an injury from a fall.
Take Care When Pulling Down
The same goes for removing holiday decorations. Take care when doing so. We probably shouldn’t say “pulling down,” when careful attention is needed when taking them down. The same risks exist when taking them down. If fact, there may be more. If doing it in January, there is the more likely hood that it’s colder and there is more snow. That is why many people wait until spring and better weather to remove the holiday lights and decorations.
Keeping Them Up Year Round
You may have seen some homeowners that keep their lights up all year. Problem solved, right? Wrong! Aging connections and fasteners can cause wear and potential problems with gutters and even roofs. Of course, we’re here to assess any damage and our roof inspectors can help. Please contact us today to make sure your roof and gutter system is in tip-top shape!
Schedule A Winter Roof Inspection Today!
Rev 12/2022