Being your first line of defense at home, your roof can experience large amounts of stress in short spans of time. A roof is never truly done working until it expires; every single moment, there’s at least one thing—winds, the heat of the sun, etc.—out in the world affecting your house and being wrestled back by the roof. It doesn’t take very long for a housetop to become tattered.

However, there are a few simple direct and indirect ways to build it up for optimum winter performance:

• Get an all-encompassing inspection from a contracting company. They’ll look closely at every aspect of the roof, from the top surface to the underside edges. If they find anything questionable, they’ll usually recommend a replacement.
• Be sure all the connected piping is clear. Those pipes are there to collect water from the roof and carry it away, so your home can stay drier. If there’s even some foliage lodged inside, water can’t get beyond it.
• Whether it’s on the roof or on branches overhead, heavy snow can cause destruction. Don’t delay when a heavy pile of snow is sitting atop your house; get it off as fast as you can. In turn, remove the branches so you won’t face the same issue in the future.