As the first serious winter storm hits the Minneapolis area, it's time to talk about winter roof repairs.  

If you've lived in Minnesota very long, you know that at this time of the year Mother Nature can be hard on a home, especially a roof.  What with wet, heavy snow causing those roofing trusses to creak, thaw/melt cycles producing ice dams, and high winds tearing shingles off, roof problems can happen at the most inconvenient time.

There are a variety of things that can happen to a roof in the winter.  Some can be taken care of come spring, while others need to be addressed immediately to prevent further damage, both to your roof and inside your home.  One of those issues is flashing damage.

Flashing is what might seem a very minor part of a roof, but it serves a very important function.  Flashing consists of (usually) aluminum strips installed at edges of roofing.  Flashing is installed on ridges, corners, and around things that penetrate the roof, such as skylights and vent pipes.  It's also installed in any valleys in the roof where two sections of roofing meet.

Flashing's purpose - in addition to protecting the edges of the roofing - is to prevent leaks.  But sometimes winter weather pulls that flashing out, exposing an open area in the underlying roofing structure where water can get in.  This can happen either from improper installation or severe weather. And over time, as flashing ages it can deteriorate or corrode.  This is one of the spots that's checked during a roof inspection.  (If you haven't had a roof inspection recently, consider putting it on your spring maintenance checklist.  You'll want to make sure your flashing is all intact so you're ready for the next season's storms as well.)

Whatever the cause, if loose or missing flashing is not repaired immediately, structural damage can result from water leaking into your home.  Flashing repair - even in the winter - is a relatively simple and inexpensive process, compared to repairing damage caused by a leaky roof.   Depending on the extent of the problem, installation of new flashing may be required, but that's a small price to pay (literally) to avoid major damage to your home, not to mention the inconvenience a roof leak in the middle of winter would cause.

Some homeowners elect to repair their own flashing, but we don't recommend it.  If you're not accustomed to working on a roof, it can be dangerous at any time of the year, but especially in the winter.  And professional roofing contractors have been trained to spot flashing problems that you may overlook because they're not obvious.

Quarve Contracting provides winter roof repairs, including flashing.  Our crews have the experience to take care of problems like this, no matter what the weather.  We are a licensed MN roofing company, and we've been helping Minnesota homeowners take care of their roofs for over three decades.   Give us a call if we can help you with yours.