Homeowners grapple with winter upkeep challenges

(FOX 9) - Just a day before the heavy snowstorm, hardware stores are running low on some crucial items.

“I’d say in the last week, week-and-a-half, [we’ve had] an extremely high volume of business related to roof problems, snow-related problems,” said John Connolly, store manager at Jerry’s Hardware in Edina, Minnesota.

Luckily, they just restocked their roof rakes Tuesday as we prepare for another round of February snow.

Overall, Connolly said this winter season has been particularly challenging for homeowners.

“I think there’s been a lot of problems already due to the freeze-thaw in late January and the extreme cold followed by heavy snow and more snow coming,” he said.

Others are choosing to call in the professionals.  

Keyprime Roofing has also been busy, and some customers are even calling in a panic

“Some customers already called in with damages just trying to help out the roof and eliminate more damages,” said William Shvets, owner of Keyprime Roofing and Remodeling.

Shvets said this can be an issue in older homes when heavy, wet snow adds up and there’s not proper insulation or ventilation.

“When you have a huge amount of wet snow accumulation on the top of the roof, especially lower pitched roofs, it can definitely break the trusses and cave in,” he said.

Shvets said newer homes usually don’t have the same heat loss as older homes, so they often won’t see as much of an issue from ice dams and water problems.

“Older properties are not well-ventilated or insulated and therefore tend to have much more ice build-up and what that causes is water leaks,” he said.

And while Minnesota homes are built for the changing temperatures – and lots of snow – Shvets recommends getting ahead of the situation before you have a costly situation.