Most roofing professionals will tell you that the most typical time to clean a roof is in the spring or early summer, after the storm season and also because nice weather sure helps when you have to be high up on a ladder or on a roof.

Rain causes clogged gutters, a main culprit for damage to a roof. So roof inspections are vital to prolonging the anticipated lifecycle and longevity of your roof, whether it’s a residential roof or commercial building roof.

Nearby trees and vegetation combined with winds are a prime villain for roofs – challenging hot heat and sun as enemy No. 1. Roof inspections and roof cleaning are tools every property owner should use often as protection.

In terms of roof cleaning, there definitely are do’s and don’ts. Some are obvious – don’t try it in inclement weather, for instance. But others you may not have thought of.

Roof Cleaning 101 - In Simple Terms

The first thing to consider for roof cleaning is the type of roof system, and the shape of the roof system. If the roof shingles or roof tiles are in good shape, power washing with water can be a simple, effective roof cleaning tool.

Remember, once you’re up there you might as well perform a layman’s roof inspection. Look for shingles or tiles with damages, such as bending, cracks, or bald spots from missing granules. They should be fixed before any washing, power or otherwise.

A huge part of roof cleaning is gutters. Clogged gutters present potential for substantial problems inside a home if not monitored and addressed adequately.

Many property owners dismiss gutters entirely, thinking heavy rains will just flush them out naturally. It’s an erroneous assumption that could end up being costly.

Nitty Gritty about Roof Cleaning

There also are some specific things to look for while cleaning your roof. It should be clear that cleaning a tile roof takes a delicate hand (really, a delicate foot, and balance) to prevent cracking or breaking a tile. A look by a professional roofer might be advisable for tile roofs.

The same goes with wood shake shingles, which can dry and become brittle after years under a hot sun.

Ditto with metal or shed roofs, regarding your weight. You can bend or damage such roof systems. Before going out, look underneath for support systems, for the best place to place your weight, or avoid problems by contacting a professional roofer.

Ultimately, the bottom line is that you’re already up there on a roof, why not look around and ensure your property’s roof system is holding up? The key to a roof is a consistent roof inspection and roof maintenance when needed, toward the ultimate goal of extending its anticipated lifecycle.

It may not seem glamorous but it doesn’t need to happen all that often, and the end results can be very worthwhile. Why not expend the energy to care for something that protects one of your most valuable assets, your real property?

Aside from longevity, who doesn’t want their property to look the best it can? Most people wash their cars as often as possible. It would seem to make sense to wash your house – including roof cleaning – to keep it looking aesthetically pleasing as possible.

Thinking about roofing in Simi Valley, at least one aspect should be very evident: the place is known for the fierce winds that can cut through town. In fact, some believe the name of Simi came from a word in the Chumash Indian language, "Shimiji," meaning "Valley of the Winds."

Simi Valley is coming of age, with about two decades’ worth of new tourism and shopping attractions. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library opened there in 1992, and in recent years the library added Air Force One Pavilion, where the president’s own airplane rests permanently. President Reagan was buried at the library in 2004.

Plus there is Simi Valley Town Center, a beautiful outdoor regional shopping center, which opened in 2005 with Mediterranean architecture, and an outdoor fireplace and other attractions.

For roofing in Simi Valley, not so many structures feature tile roofs because wind-blown items can tend to crack tiles. But wood shake shingles are totally out of place, as the strong winds in Simi Valley can mean huge wildfires especially in dry fall months.

Regardless of the roofing system, it is imperative in Simi Valley to have a strong roof inspection and/or roof maintenance program. The winds alone command it - see our factsheet for Simi Valley roof construction.

Demographics and Roofing in Simi Valley

Simi Valley is an affluent community, with many college graduates. The City was incorporated in 1969, and by the 1970s and 1980s a housing boom pushed the population well past 100,000, making the city among the largest in the nation.

While some newer housing tracts exist, such as in Big Sky Ranch, others are 40 years old or older – with a wide variety of roofs and roof conditions. Most of the older neighborhoods are without homeowners associations to force owners to maintain a nice-looking roof, and as such some neighborhoods can tend to look a bit shabby.

In terms of commercial roofing, there are plenty of retail and industrial areas of town, particularly in the Tapo Canyon industrial center between Los Angeles and Royal avenues, and north of the Ronald Reagan Freeway (118) at First Street.

The north area of town is a bit more prone to high winds, particularly Santa Ana winds that come from the Mojave Desert and wind through the Santa Susana Mountains north of Simi Valley.

It is in these areas where roof inspections and roof maintenance programs are most vital. A single windstorm can wreak havoc with a roof system, especially if that roof system is more then 10 or 15 years old.

Simi Valley, Roofing and Suburbia

Simi Valley is mostly the land of suburban housing tracts, totaling about 40,000 residential dwellings. Beyond high winds, homeowners should inspect their roofs and adjacent attic items such as vents often, especially if they are located near the open mountain areas.

Open attic vents are dangerous during wildfires, and besides, leaving them open means pests coming down from the open lands can get inside. Simi Valley is just that, a valley, surrounded by open hills and mountains. Keeping it that way is a voter-approved measure that prevents construction on most hillsides.

Another element for Simi Valley and roofing is hot, often very dry summers. After several years even the best roofing system can get brittle – and hence more prone to damage from winds.

Homeowners might be wise to seek a program that is basically Roof Asset Management, with principles much like infrastructure asset management – planning things like roads, water supplies and flooding for long-term cost-effectiveness.

Remember, a roof is an asset, something of value with an anticipated lifecycle that you want to extend as long as possible. With roofing in Simi Valley, maintenance is vital. It can be too easy to overlook your roof, even though it’s the first line of defense in protecting what is likely your biggest asset of all, your home or business building.

Like much of North Hollywood, the roofing landscape there is changing rapidly. The district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles is in the midst of a transformation due largely to transportation.

North Hollywood's landscape is transforming into the modern, with older one-story bungalows and small apartment buildings sharing space with new condominium towers.

The community is changing from a mostly lower- to middle-class suburb into a regional center, mainly because of construction of the Metro Orange Line commuter train that connects North Hollywood and Woodland Hills, and the Red Line subway that links with Hollywood, Wilshire and downtown Los Angeles.

The result is creation of North Hollywood as a regional hub for the Valley – and the changes could be significant for roofing, roof inspections and roof maintenance in North Hollywood.

High-density housing and tall buildings can change the climactic setting of a certain area, causing less wind, for example, or even more moisture. Any changes to the climate around your home or commercial building can affect the lifecycle of a roof.

Real Considerations for Roofing in North Hollywood

There also are safety, aesthetic and real property considerations for roofing in North Hollywood, including roof inspections and roof maintenance.

Part of the community’s change can be seen in the NoHo Arts District, where land use planning aims to create an urban village prime for pedestrians to get to and fro on foot. Aging or eroding roofs can mean high winds can shake pieces loose, and who knows where these projectiles will land. You don’t want pedestrians injured from your property.

There’s also the look of your home or commercial building to passersby. Who wants the worst-looking roof in North Hollywood?

Then there is real property value. As new buildings are constructed nearby, your property value should rise – as long as it is maintained. Proper roof maintenance is vital for that first impression of a buyer – often the most important.

As probably your most valuable asset, shouldn’t your home or business building look as good as possible? And, what about the potential for internal damages should there be a failure of your roof in North Hollywood? Damage to the inside from leaks can be so costly, making consistent roof inspections and/or roof maintenance that much better as an investment.

From Lankershim to North Hollywood and Roofing 101

North Hollywood was originally known as Lankershim – and sometimes Toluca, confusing visitors with another community in the region. Ultimately marketing was involved in the demise of the Lankershim name, as the community’s leaders renamed the district to capitalize on the proximity to and glamour of Hollywood itself.

For a long time it was just another identical territory of rows of suburban homes. Now it’s changing thanks to the transportation lines.

Again the changes impact roofing in North Hollywood. More new residential units – planned around the subway station are hundreds of apartments, condos, stores and other developments – comes, well, jobs.

That means commercial buildings, whether new or old. Older commercial buildings often need roofing touch-ups, at least an inspection, before expanding how many people can occupy inside. And you should ask about new roofing technology for commercial buildings, such as a cool roof that can save you money in terms of energy costs.

An inspection by a professional roofing company, at least twice a year, is recommended for any commercial building in the San Fernando Valley due to roof-impacting elements such as high winds and dry, hot sun.

North Hollywood already has its NoHo Arts District, near Valley Village, and its 20 or more professional theaters producing new and classic work. Also around are art galleries, public art and professional dance studios – and the largest concentration of music-recording venues west of the Mississippi.

Times are changing in North Hollywood, for its residents as well as roofing, roofing inspection and roofing maintenance needs.

Porter Ranch, one of the newest enclaves of the San Fernando Valley, was pretty much designed as a commuter community. There are hardly any jobs except for retail north of the Ronald Reagan Freeway (118) in that area.

For roofing and roofing maintenance, the main thing you need to know – and this is a no-brainer if you’ve lived there through just one fall – is written directly in Wikipedia.com: “Porter Ranch is known for its intense winds.”

The encyclopedia website is correct that whenever the Los Angeles region sustains a pattern of high winds, local news stations often conduct reports across the Porter Valley Town Center, the big strip mall visible from the freeway.

Porter Ranch is a large suburban tract of about 5,200 households, and roofing, roofing inspections and roofing maintenance are focused on the residential side, with limited commercial buildings.

Aside from high winds, residents should often inspect their roofs and adjacent attic items such as vents, as the area is right up against the Santa Susana Mountains and is prone to wildfires. Plus, open attic vents invite pests, which also can come from the open mountains.

Knowing Your Environment with Roofing and Porter Ranch

That Porter Ranch has a Wikipedia entry says much about how the area has matured. It is a master-planned district in the northwest portion of the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles.

It is bounded by Northridge to the south, Chatsworth on the west and south, and Granada Hills to the east and south. Its main thoroughfares are Rinaldi Street running east-west, and Corbin Ave., Tampa Ave. and Reseda Blvd. going north-south.

In terms of roofing and roofing maintenance, since it is a newer community you will be hard-pressed to find any wood shake shingle in Porter Ranch, considering the winds and fire threat.

You’re mainly dealing with tile, or asphalt shingles. There still can be problems with the wind, and another element not so kind to roofs, the blazing sun.

Hot, dry summers can wreak havoc with a roof over time, and though Porter Ranch homes first started showing up only in the 1980s, the time is fast approaching where some of the community’s roofs will need some TLC.

Modern Route to Roofing in Porter Ranch

Porter Ranch is young and therefore modern, and its mostly upscale, single-family homes are best maintained through a modern roofing program.

Today you have programs that are essentially Roof Asset Management, with principles much like infrastructure asset management – planning things like roads, water supplies and flooding for long-term cost-effectiveness.

Roofs are an asset, something of value with an anticipated lifecycle you want to extend as long as possible. Therefore, in roofing in Porter Ranch, maintenance is crucial. It’s easy to overlook your roof, despite the fact that it’s the first line of defense in protecting what is likely your biggest asset of all, your home or business building.

Roof maintenance can provide a peace of mind, as well as an eventual cost savings. A roof’s expected lifecycle is usually 20 or 30 years, but few reach that age without roof inspections and/or roof maintenance.

Semi-annual roof maintenance is preferred, with a look at your roof in the fall and again in the spring. The semi-annual roof maintenance program works well, because the fall is a good time to correct damage from summer heat and clean up autumn debris fairly common in Porter Ranch.

Spring roof maintenance focuses on cleaning up debris, tightening loose flashing and roof membrane caused by high winds and storms. Again, elements pretty typical for the Porter Ranch area of Los Angeles.