What Adam and Eve got up to on your roof with a ladder

I always thought it would be nice to have a roof garden. Somewhere to relax and maybe enjoy a frolic in the sun with the benefit of complete privacy. In my mind’s eye it would be something like this:

Imagine my surprise when I took a ladder up to my roof and found that I already HAVE a roof garden!

You may think my roof garden is less grand, but you have to admit that the plant life is flourishing up there:

But seriously, as we say, this is the time of year to start thinking about whether you have an unwanted Garden of Eden on the roof, and particularly in the gutters. The leaves will be falling soon, causing blocked gutters and downpipes. Damage to exterior woodwork usually follows, and it can get expensive.

This is a real example photographed by a local gutter cleaning company:

Gutters and downpipes have the job of moving water off the roof and down the drain. When they stop doing that job, the water collects and creeps behind paint and into the wood. The microorganisms which cause rot love that water, and that wrecks the wood. And the cold weather makes the water expand into ice and that wrecks the wood as well. Clean gutters and well-maintained exterior paintwork put a stop to all that.
The moral of the story is that, round about now, it’s a good idea to get your gutters and your exterior woodwork checked. If you want us to check the paintwork and give you an idea of what it would cost to fix any problems we’ll be happy to come round.

Best regards
Geoff Parvin