Fall time for roof maintenance

As the leaves come down we all know where a lot of them end up........your gutters. So if you're not one of the lucky ones who's home has some sort of Leaf Relief on the gutters you take out your ladder, and start the task of cleaning them out.
While you're at it, there are a few things you should check out on  your roof.

The first is to look for any obvious damage (missing shingles, wood showing).
You'll also want to look for any curling, or cracked shingles. This could be a sign of bad things to come once the snows of winter hit.
Take a look at your chimney flashings, make sure they are intact. So many times we tear off roofs, and see where the chimney flashing leaked for years, and water ran down the inside of the chimney rotting the roof, and wall sheathing, and in extreme cases the actual framing of the house. These can leak like that with out ever showing on a ceiling.
Check your ridge cap. Again look for loose or missing caps. If you have ridge vent make sure its not clogged up with helicopters or other debris.

And last, but not least (the reason you're on a ladder to begin with) your gutters. Check to make sure they are secure, and draining properly. If they have standing water in after they've been cleaned, odds are they are no longer properly pitched, and will not function. Gutters that aren't working properly can cause severe damage to your home over time.