What to do and what to leave alone between December and March.
December: pre-storm prep
Clean the gutters (the late-fall maple leaves and seed pods are usually the worst). Check the downspout discharge — water needs to move at least six feet from the foundation. Walk the attic looking for daylight at any roof penetration.
January–February: managing snow loads
Most Evanston roofs are engineered for 25–30 psf snow loading. A wet 18-inch snow event hits 24 psf. Two stacked storms with refreeze in between can exceed design loads on older homes. If you have visible roof sag, internal door framing that suddenly sticks, or unusual creaking — call us, not a roof rake.
Roof rakes themselves are mostly safe IF you stay on the ground and only rake the first four feet of the slope from the eave. Climbing on a snowy roof is genuinely dangerous and we strongly discourage it.
Ice damming
If you see icicles longer than a foot hanging off the eaves, you have an ice dam forming. Do not chip at it with a hammer or a shovel — that breaks shingles. Steam-removal by a qualified contractor (not pressure-washing, not heat-gun, steam at <200°F) is the only safe interior-of-winter remediation. The real fix is the attic ventilation upgrade we will recommend for the spring.
March: thaw inspection
Walk your property after the first sustained thaw. Look at the lawn for shingle granules washed down off the roof. Look at gutters for sediment. Look at exterior walls for stains where roof meltwater may have backed up under flashing. Any of these is worth a free inspection.