Your roof just survived another Utah winter. Between the heavy snow loads, ice dams, freeze-thaw cycles, and those February wind storms that seem to come out of nowhere — it’s been through a lot.
Spring is when winter damage shows itself. And the homeowners who catch issues in April save themselves a lot of money compared to the ones who find out in July when water’s dripping through the ceiling during a thunderstorm.
Here’s what to check — and most of this you can do from the ground with a pair of binoculars.
Start with the shingles. Look for any that are obviously missing, cracked, curling at the edges, or sitting at a weird angle. After a windy winter, it’s common to find shingles that have lifted and partially torn away from the adhesive strip underneath. These won’t always leak immediately, but they’re vulnerable — the next storm could rip them clean off.
Check your gutters. Not just for leaves and debris (though clean those out too), but for granule buildup. A handful of granules in the gutter is normal. A heavy layer — like coarse sand — means your shingles are losing their protective coating faster than they should.
Look at the flashing. These are the metal strips around chimneys, vent pipes, skylights, and where roof planes intersect. Flashing is the first place most leaks start because the sealant dries out and cracks over time. From the ground, look for any sections that appear lifted, bent, or visibly separated from the surface they’re supposed to be sealed against.
Check inside your attic. This is the step most people skip, and it’s arguably the most important. Go up there on a sunny day and look for daylight coming through the roof boards. Check for dark stains on the underside of the decking, which indicates moisture. Look at the insulation — if it’s wet, matted, or discolored in spots, water has been getting in.
Walk around the perimeter of your house and look at the soffit and fascia (the boards under the roof overhang). Peeling paint, soft spots, or visible rot usually means water is getting behind things, often from ice dam damage.
Don’t forget your boots and vent pipes. Every plumbing vent and exhaust fan that penetrates your roof has a rubber boot seal around it. After a few Utah winters, those boots crack and dry out. They’re cheap to replace but expensive to ignore.
If you spot anything concerning — or if you’d rather just have a pro do the walkthrough — we offer free spring inspections. We’ll get up on the roof, document anything we find with photos, and give you an honest assessment. No charge, no obligation. It’s the best 30 minutes you can invest in your home this spring.
Ready to get your roof inspected? Call V3 Roofing at (385) 900-4618 for a FREE estimate.
