Winters in Southern Ontario are notoriously fickle. One day, the sun is shining and the thermometer is edging above zero, the next a brutal blizzard blows in off the lakes and covers the entire region in inches of snow.
These fluctuating temperatures put a huge amount of strain on people’s homes, with roofs being particularly hard-hit. It’s not uncommon for homeowners living in older houses to find that a mid-winter thaw leads to unwelcome roof leaks.
Given the challenges of winter roofing, many Ontarians believe — rightly — that installing a new roof is a job best done during the summer months, when long, sunny days and warm temperatures make it easier for labourers to do the work safely and quickly.
But while it’s always better to book your roofing projects in the summer, if you’re having problems now putting them off for a few months can be a big mistake.
How Delaying Repairs Exacerbates the Problem
People can get used to just about anything, and a minor issue like the rooftop ice damming or an unusually damp room is often normalized as just being a quirk of the house. But the truth is that these problems speak to more structural issues, and if small repairs are put off for long enough, they stop being small.
When a roof is no longer keeping the water out, moisture builds up in the attic. Over time, this can rot the roof deck and even the rafters. As water drips down, it can damage insulation, seep inside walls, and degrade your drywall. These conditions breed mold, which is both unsightly, harmful, and potentially very difficult to get rid of permanently.
A simple ice damming problem, which could have been solved by installing extra vents in the roof during the summer or by using calcium chloride to break up the dam once it has formed, now requires entire rooms to be renovated. While getting roof work done in February isn’t ideal, it’s still better than having to replace the entire roof in June.
What Roofing Companies Can Do to Help
The good news is that whether you’re experiencing leaks or are simply worried about moisture and ventilation, calling a Pickering roofing company to undertake a thorough inspection can help you figure out the immediate steps that will help you nip the problem in the bud.
In some extreme cases this may mean an emergency re-roofing job, but roofers know plenty of tricks that can help you keep your house safe from water damage and buy you time to make more extensive repairs when the weather warms up.
For example, it may be possible to cut in new ridge vents to help reduce attic condensation. Not only will this protect your roof deck and rafters, it can also help keep ice dams from forming in the future.
Unpredictable Ontario winters have always created problems for homeowners, and being proactive about protecting your home from inclement weather is the best way to avoid seasonal damage. But if you have emergency repairs that need to be taken care of now, make sure you call Pickering roofers to take care of it.
