If your roof doesn’t function just right, neither can any other parts of the house; it’s key to comfort and security. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take that much for it to grow weak. Between little clumps of dust, snow, and any extreme weather conditions, a roof can only endure so much damage.

Some roofs are less sensitive than others, but it can still be complicated to determine when they’ve reached their limit or whether they need some kind of repair. Experts recommend you plan to have an inspector come over to examine the housetop every 1-2 years; they say any bigger time gap than that allows for the housetop to suffer or get within a pinch of irreversible damage.

A typical roof inspection starts with a simple scan of the roof to see whether it has decomposed from aging or extreme temperatures. Next they’ll look carefully at the roof’s crevices, the ceiling, and other house components surrounding the roof, like the gutters and chimney.

Water can drip through and build up in crevices between sides of the roof. It’s the part of the housetop that water typically bleeds through on its way into the home. Rain gutters are especially important, since they’re meant to grab falling rain and keep the structure dry. Chimneys are perhaps even more critical, because they’re made to keep life-threatening chemicals far away from you.