Roof alert: What falls in fall can cost you; 3 ways to prevent that

A roofer in Boulder adds caulking to a newly finished roof. (Daily Camera file photo)

If you own a home, what falls in fall could cost you.

In my own completely unscientific poll, one of the prime sources of homeowner dread is the roof. You can’t see it easily; it’s somewhat technical; it’s expensive to replace; and neglecting it, especially at this time of the year, can lead to other expensive damage to your house.

But as some Zen master somewhere once said, embrace your fears. No matter how old your roof is, knowing what kind of shape it’s in is better than not knowing, because you can do necessary repairs and heave a sigh of relief, or just bite the bullet and fix what’s broken. So pick up the phone and get somebody up there.

We posed a few essential roof-maintenance questions via e-mail to Jim Gustin, senior property specialist with insurance company Travelers. (There are more fall maintenance tips at Travelers.com/prepare-prevent.)