Simple Steps to Prevent Ice Damage

April Showers don't only bring May flowers!  Each year I recieve numerous calls from my customers who are sure that they have a roof leak.  The symptoms are always the same, "I have water leaking into my home above the window", or "the paint is peeling in the corner of my bedroom".  The damage has already been done, it is my job to uncover the mystery as to the cause of the problem and solve it.  

Arriving at the home, at first glance everything looks normal.  There are no shingles missing or damaged, all the vents are in place and installed properly.  Where is this problem coming from????  Upon closer inspection the answer is very clear.  The good news is that the home owner does not have a roof leak, the bad news is that a half hours worth of work last fall could have saved the home owner several hundred dollars worth of work now.  The problem is simply clogged gutters and downspouts!   The leaves from those beautiful trees that kept us in shade all summer long, have fallen and clogged the gutters!  Often the home owner spent hours clearing all the leaves from their yards, lining the street with a grand display of those ugly brown paper leaf bags, only to ignore the most important area that the leaves have gathered in!