Well, the weather outside is frightful, but that also means it’s the most festive time of the year! Will your roof hold up under the weight of a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer? What will you need to look out for when you’re up there hanging the Christmas lights and decking the … gutters? How can you help make your roof more ho-ho-holiday ready before the big guy’s Christmas Eve visit?
Decorating for the Holidays
Things to Keep in Mind
- Holiday time is social time! Having a friend or family member decorate with you makes the process safer, by far (and more fun)!
- Use light hooks. A little bit of planning, ahead of time, can save you headaches later. How are you going to attach your lights to your roof? We recommend light hooks attached to your gutters, not nails or staples, to improve your results and protect your roof.
- Safety is the top priority. Use a sturdy, appropriate, well-secured ladder if you need one.
- Make sure your décor is outdoor appropriate. Make sure any decorations that use electricity are rated for outdoor use – and don’t forget to account for your extension cords, as well!
Things Not to Do
- Don’t put holes in your roof for the sake of a better holiday display. This might seem like a no-brainer, but using staples, nails, or screws in your roof to secure your décor can damage your roof’s integrity and cause small but significant problems down the road.
- Don’t be Clark Griswold. Check that your lights work, and that the outlet(s) you plan to use are in good working order BEFORE you go to all the trouble of creating your display.
What To Look For When You’re Up On The Roof
Easy Ways to Spot Damage or Issues
- Check your shingles or tiles. You don’t need to do an in-depth check, but taking a few minutes for a quick visual inspection could help you identify small problems before they become disasters.
- Check the gutters. Since you shouldn’t put anything on your roof that makes a hole, the best plan for attaching lights and decorations is to use light hooks. These typically attach to gutters or roof edges, so take the time to make sure your gutters are secure and free from rust or damage before adding an additional load to them.
- Check for sagging. Any low points or depressions in your roof can be a significant sign of underlying damage (plus, it could make for a rough landing for the reindeer).
DIY Maintenance That Can be Done While Hanging Lights
- Remove debris. If you’re already up on your roof, or at least up on a ladder at roof-inspection level, it takes very little time to remove leaves or debris from your roof or gutters.
- Reattach any loose gutter fixtures. If you notice any loose or missing attachments between your gutters and your house, you can sometimes quite easily reattach them while you’re up on the ladder (especially because you don’t want to hang lights off of poorly secured gutters).
Check the Chimney (Obviously)
- Inspect your chimney. Since this will OBVIOUSLY be Santa’s main point of ingress into your home, you want to have it in tip-top shape before the big night. Look for damaged or loose flashing around the area where the chimney meets the roof and missing or damaged bricks.
- Call for repairs. Chimney repairs aren’t usually DIY, and you’ll want to get any damage addressed pretty quickly. If you notice damage, it’s best to call in the pros, ASAP – especially if you’ll be lighting cozy fires over the holidays.
But CAN Your Roof Handle Santa?
The officials at NORAD have done the calculations, and their best guess is that the average visit from Santa’s sleigh would add over 60,000 tons to the load on your roof. It’s safe to say that the average residential roof is unlikely to withstand that without damage. Good thing Santa’s magic protects your roof and all the occupants of you home! But if any of that magic has failed you this year, don’t hesitate to call the best company for roof or chimney repair in Cincinnati!