This time of year is a busy one for all the home décor aficionados. With Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year's just around the corner, you're probably thinking "I need to spruce my home up ASAP!".
Holiday decorations are one of the biggest joys this time of year; having your home reflect the season is a long traditioned concept. While we encourage all homeowners to decorate as much as your heart desires, it's extremely important to do so safely.
Adding decorations to your roof can be especially problematic if not done correctly. We'll be exploring all the dos and don'ts of adding décor carefully and securely to your roof.
1. No staples, nail guns, or super glue!
Using adhesives like staples, nails, screws, or even glue to secure your decorations can cause permanent damage to your roof and gutters. Puncturing holes into the shingles can cause air drafts, which everybody wants to avoid when the temperatures start to drop. Or even worse, you could cause leaks into your home.
Our Advice: Invest in some specialty light clips that won't damage your roof or your gutters. These are simple to use and there is a large variety of different types. Usually, they will attach to your gutter, which you can easily string your lights through- making for the perfect roof décor hack!
2. Watch the weight
Adding heavy statues or even large inflatables to your roof is not only difficult to accomplish but can also damage your home. These decorations are hard to secure so they might require you to use some of reinforcements that we encourage you to avoid. Avoid using sandbags to weigh any of them down Putting too much weight in one spot on your roof will permanently damage the roofing materials, which can be easily avoided.
Our Advice: Keep the heavier decorations on the lawn. If you decide to add inflatables or other decorations to your roof, tie them down using string, twine, or rope. If the decorations cannot be secured using these materials, it's definitely best to leave them off the roof.
3. Work with the roof, not against it
Of course, we want all your home décor dreams to come alive, but not at the risk of damaging your roof or gutters. When planning how you're going to display your holiday spirit, keep in mind the slope, material, and size of your roof.
Our Advice: Avoid roof decorations if your roof has a steep slope and is difficult or potentially dangerous to work on. Use string lights to your decorating advantage if this is the case. If your roof is flatter and more easily accessible, you will have more options for roof decorations.
We hope that during the upcoming holiday season you heed our advice to protect your roof, gutters, and ultimately, your home. Some of the best guidance we can offer is to make sure your roof is always up to date, reliable, and safe throughout the year. That way, you can ensure that you are safe in between and during the process of decorating.
If you'd like to make sure that your roof is ready for everything you want to throw at it this holiday season, call 404-610-9100 to schedule an appointment!