Winter weather in British Columbia can bring heavy rain, wind, snow and ice. Such extreme weather patterns have a negative effect on many different parts of your home, and the roof is one area that many homeowners regretfully overlook when preparing for winter weather.

Without proper preparation or roof maintenance, roof problems can quickly go from bad to worse. Here are a few easy steps you can take to ensure that your roof will survive the winter.

Inspect the Roof

The first step in maintaining a roof is to have it inspected on a regular basis. This can be done by yourself or with a professional. Broken tree limbs and dead leaves can increase the wear and tear on a roof, so if your house is near a lot of trees, you might want to have the roof inspected more often.

If you plan on doing the inspection yourself, make sure you know what to look for. During your inspection, you should look for broken shingles, worn areas, holes and decay. While you're up there, take a look at your gutters. A blocked gutter system can cause major problems for even the toughest roof.

Proper Ventilation

A major cause of roof decay and collapse is poor ventilation. The best method is to keep an eye on temperatures inside your attic space. When your home is unusually warm during the summer and cold during the winter, chances are your roof isn't properly ventilated, and you should have a local roofing company investigate.

Remove Tree Debris

Broken branches can scrape and scratch shingles, and cause major damage, so make sure you trim any heavy, low-hanging branches. Smaller debris like nuts, pinecones, twigs and leaves can accumulate on top of your roof and rot, causing your shingles to decay faster than normal. Climbing plants are also a big threat. Plants like Ivy are known to climb up the sides of houses and tear right through gutters and shingles. Make sure to uproot any invasive climbing species as soon as possible.

Clean the Gutters

Blocked gutters can wreak havoc on your roof system. Water build-up can cause gutters to overflow and leak water underneath the roofing membrane and siding of your home. Gutters should be cleaned at least once a year.

Treat Your Roof

Your roof should be treated every three to five years. If you deal with a professional roofing company, they should be treating your roof as part of their regular maintenance routine. Otherwise, you can do it yourself with a high-quality roof cleanser. If algae are a problem, there are chemicals that can be used to protect your roof from moss buildup.