Friend-LINK: <%=INSERTTEXT%>

If you like this AGN column please consider paying $0.25 using PayPal.

Yesterday found my wife and I up on our roof. No, we weren’t observing some odd harvest-time ritual, but it did have something to do with the oncoming Fall and Winter seasons. Even here in Southern California we have to make preparations for the rain and wind to come.

Of leaves, rain and shingles

There were several reasons for our scrambling about on the roof. We needed to remove the heavy layer of leaves that had accumulated there over the last 2 years. I meant to do this last year, but the rains arrived before I got around to it. As with all procrastination I paid for my inattention later in the form of leaks in various parts of my home office.

The leaks only occurred during the heaviest downpours, but due to the design of the room-- a steeply peaked ceiling with exposed beams-- the leaks would start along a beam and then follow it completely across the room. As you can imagine, this was very disconcerting considering the amount of computers and other electronics I have in the office.

It appears that the accumulated leaves where holding back the water as it ran down the roof, allowing it to back up under the shingles and leak into the office below. Hopefully by cleaning up this detritus I will reduce, if not remove the problems I had with leaks last Winter.

Of course, while we were up on the roof we noticed that several trees were overgrown and needed pruning. This will prevent them from banging into the house during storms and also, by pruning now, I reduce the amount of leaves that will fall on the roof this fall. This did mean more work than I had originally expected, but it should mean fewer problems down the road.

Finally, we looked very carefully for any shingles that might be loose or torn. Our goal is to nurse the roof through this Winter and then have it replaced in the Spring or Summer when it will cost less. Luckily we don’t need to re-roof the entire house as it is only this one addition that seems to have problems.

Future planning

Obviously, many of these problems could have been avoided had the previous owners taken a bit more care in their planning. Most of us know better than to plant trees close to our homes as their roots might cause foundation damage, but sometimes we forget about the additional problems associated with falling leaves and limbs.

For example, I am not very happy with the eucalyptus that is planted near the southeast corner of my home office. Eucalyptus trees are notorious for losing large limbs whenever there is a storm so I am always a bit concerned about this. I am trying to keep it well pruned and balanced, but it will probably have to be removed eventually. We lost a companion to this tree a few years ago during our El Niño rains. The ground became so saturated that the roots came loose and the tree began to topple over onto the electrical lines leading into the house.

Whenever you plan new additions to your garden make sure you consider both the reach of the roots and the canopy of the plant. You don’t want to cause more work for yourself over the long run. As we all know, there is plenty enough work to do in the garden already. So tell me, how's the view from your roof?

Keep roofing!

Douglas

What was happening a year ago (or more) in my garden? October 3, 1999 To Tell You The Truth September, 1996 Fighting The Scorching Sun and Opossom Links

Recommended Reading Browse the WelchWrite Bookstore <%=INSERTTEXT%>

Also on Welchwrite.com <%=INSERTTEXT%>