April showers bring May flowers. They also bring something else: the chance for you to check your gutters and your roof for leaks.

Checking your gutters

Our house doesn’t have much guttering, and what it does have is leaky. Your gutters may have leaks, too. But how would you know? When it’s raining, the natural impulse is to head indoors and wait for the sun to come back out.

This month when it rains, grab your umbrella and head out to inspect your gutters. (Unless there happens to be lightning, of course!)

Why does this matter? In our house, the poor guttering leads to cascades of water that tear up the landscaping and ground around our house. It turns into a muddy mess. What’s more, it can also be a threat to the foundation.

So be sure to check your gutters this month. You’ll want to know where any potential foundation threats are, and you may find issues significant enough that you’ll want to have your gutters repaired.

Checking your roof

I was at my mother’s house in Houston a few months ago. I happened to go into her attic during a rainstorm. While I was getting what my mom wanted, I kept hearing this drip-drip-drip sound.

I tracked it down. It was a leak coming from the roof and dripping onto a plastic storage bin. This was fortunate for three reasons.

First, I wouldn’t have discovered it without the tell-tale sound.

Second, if the box hadn’t been there, it would have been dripping right into the insulation or onto a cardboard box that held precious keepsakes. The insulation, ceiling material, and keepsakes could all have been ruined.

Finally, an undiscovered leak creates the perfect breeding ground for mold.

Needless to say, my mom and I both were happy that I happened to be in the attic while it was raining.

During one of the rainstorms this month, head up into your attic and bring a flashlight if you need to. See if you can spot any leaks that you can proactively address this spring.

Take a rain check

A rainy day is great time to try to spot leaks in your gutters and attic.

As always, if you see something that worries you or that you have a question about, give us call. We’ll come out for free to take a look.