Fall Leaves and Your Home: What you Need to Know

With fall on the horizon, you may be already thinking of the wintertime hazard prevention we covered in our blog—but if you’re not even on your fall to-do list yet, don’t worry! You’ve still got time before the leaves start flying to get your home ship-shape and ready to stand strong against whatever nature throws at it.

Speaking of leaves, though, the aftermath of those lovely fall colors can pose numerous problems for your home if you don’t know how to deal with them. Spoiler alert: it’s a bit more than raking! Below, GCM Construction & Maintenance discusses the type of damage fall leaves can do to your exterior and what you need to do to prevent it.

Leaves Can Cause Water Damage on Your Roof

But wait—aren’t the leaves relatively dry once they’re shed from the trees? Sure, but they don’t necessarily bring the water. It rains during the fall too! Regardless, GEICO states that “Asphalt, clay and shale shingles can trap moisture; if wet leaves sit on top for too long, the moisture could seep into the house. And metal roofs can corrode over time if wet leaves in the gutter keep the edge of the roofing from drying out.”

The result of leaves left on your roofing, while perhaps not as drastic as that of an ice dam, can still amount to water damage and potential mold growth beneath the shingles. Make sure to trim back your trees before they start to change color, though, and you should be home clear.

Don’t Forget Your Gutters!

Fall is gutter-cleaning prime time, so it’s paramount you get up there and de-clog them before fall leaves lead to overflow. Though you should ideally be cleaning your gutters between twice a year and seasonally depending on your circumstances, you may need to tidy up multiple times in order to keep your foundation safe from wayward water streams. After all, preventive maintenance is key to happy homeownership, as we cover in our contractor blog.

What About My Landscaping?

You may be well aware of the brown, spotty effect fall leaves can create on lawns, but the damage they bring can go much further than that. Pests enjoy the accumulation of debris, and what’s worse, your well-intentioned efforts to remove the leaves can damage some types of shallow-rooted plants.

Smart landscaping choices are essential to a smooth raking season. Choose plants with deep root systems and hardy leaves if you’ll need to rake around them; ferns and shrubbery can be good options.

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Our Eden Prairie team is proud to provide homeowners across the metropolitan area with the top-quality contractor work they deserve. To learn more about your opportunities with us, contact our office today at 952-922-5575.