With the leaves falling, obviously you want to make sure that they are'nt causing you harm. Yes the same things that your children love to make piles of and jump into can cause you harm and this is a checklist to make sure that come winter you're safe. 

1. If their are leaves on your roof they are in your gutters. Now I know that a lot of times this is a task that you can handle yourself but more then 164,000 people fall off ladders a year and 300 lose their life. So unless your taking all the necessary safety precautions this is a task that you may want to leave to the professionals. Although, it may cost between $150-250 it is definitely cheaper then hospital bills. 

Now you may think that Fall only brings leaves, and cleaning out the gutters is your only concern, but we have to remember that winter is right around the corner and a lot of roofing companies may be booking for spring already. So this leads me into number 2.

2. Having your roof inspected may not be necessary, but if you have had roof leaks in the past year it couldn't hurt. A lot of companies will actually do this task for free with hopes of obviously finding a repair that is needed. If you want an honest opinion a lot of times its better to just pay the small trip fee and have a certified roofing tech take a look. Pipe flashings and chimney flashings are areas were roof leaks could occur. During Fall there is a lot of temperature changes throughout the day and this makes your caulking expand and contract.

3. Making sure that all your bathroom fan vents are vented outside is always important but it usually doesn't cause any signs of leaking until the temperature drops. The reason for this is because of the cold air that is already in your attic from proper ventilation, and the warm air that blows into your attic from your hot showers. Condensation can lead to leaks and more importantly mold. EAS Roofing provides a lot of roof inspections for the Pittsburgh area and we see bathroom fan vents either being vented to the soffit vents or the ridge vent which is not recommended. To have these vented out of your attic the average cost would be around $200-$300, depending on the pitch of your roof. 

These are some of the most common roof issues that we have seen. Living in Pittsburgh allows you too see all 4 season, and with that your roof will have to stand the test. Winter is a bad time to have an old roof because the elements, like snow and frost, will lay on it. In Fall we will get a taste of the frost, so make sure your roof is ready for FALL.