It’s the first hard rain after a dry spell. You look out the kitchen window, and water is pouring over the front of the gutter instead of down the spout. You make a mental note to get it looked at. Then the rain stops, and so does the note.
That’s how most roof care goes. We wait for a drip, then we call somebody. I’m Chris, and I’d like to flip that around. There’s a line I like: take care of your roof today, and it will take care of your home tomorrow. Small problems on a roof are cheap to catch and costly to ignore. Here’s the plan I’d follow for a house in The Woodlands, season by season.
What the Township already asks you to do
In The Woodlands, some of this isn’t optional. The Woodlands Residential Development Standards, recorded December 10, 2024, list home maintenance duties in section 3.2. They include repairing and maintaining gutters and roofs, “removal of substantial yard debris such as leaves, pine needles, branches, etc. from roofs” and “removing exterior algae/mildew on dwellings.”
Read that again. Needles on the roof and black algae streaks are on the covenant list. Keeping the roof clean is part of owning a home here.
A new roof is a bigger process. Section 1.5 says every roof replacement needs approval. The roofing rules also say roofs must be “muted in shades and without color pattern.” The Standards don’t mention roof treatments at all. If you want the Township’s answer in writing before we start, call Covenant Administration at 281-210-3800.
A roof calendar for The Woodlands
Here’s how I’d split the year. Some of it you can do from the yard. Some of it needs a ladder and someone who’s at home on a roof.
February: look for winter damage
Our winters are mild, most years. February 2021 wasn’t. During that freeze, the National Weather Service recorded 9 degrees in Conroe, just up I-45. After a hard freeze or a windy cold front, look for lifted shingles, limbs on the roof and cracked pipe boots. Pipe boots are the rubber collars around the vent pipes. When one splits, water can follow the pipe down into the attic.
Late spring: get the needles off
Pine needles pile up in the valleys, behind chimneys and in the gutters. A wet mat of needles holds water against the shingles. Our air doesn’t help. Bush Intercontinental averages 74.7% humidity over a year, and damp, shaded shingles are where algae gets its start. Clear the roof before summer storm season. If you already have black streaks, that calls for a soft-wash roof cleaning, not a pressure washer.
After hail or high wind: a storm check
On June 9, 2025, the National Weather Service had reports of quarter-size hail in Town Center, Panther Creek and Grogan’s Mill. That’s hail an inch across. On July 8, 2024, Hurricane Beryl brought 74 mph winds to Montgomery County. Community Impact reported 35 trees on homes, citing the township’s first responders. In Grogan’s Mill, a tree went through a roof.
After a storm like that, you want photos of every slope and an honest read on what they show. If I find damage, I’ll show you and tell you who to call. If I don’t, I’ll say so.
November: gutters before the winter rain
By November the gutters have caught a whole season of needles and leaves. Clean them out, flush the downspouts and make sure water runs away from the house. From 1991 to 2020, Bush Intercontinental averaged 51.84 inches of rain a year. A gutter that can’t drain gets a lot of chances to spill over.
Where a treatment fits
Cleaning deals with what lands on your roof. A treatment deals with what the sun takes out of it. Bright Green Roof says to start at the five-year mark and to treat when shingles are ten years or older. A roof can take up to three applications over its life.
Earlier is better. At five to ten years, the shingle still has most of its oils, so a treatment keeps it flexible instead of trying to bring it back. Think lotion before the cracks, not after.
Here’s a date to circle. If your roof went on in the second half of 2024, after Beryl, it reaches the five-year mark in 2029. Write it down now. And if your house still has its first roof, check the year it was built. About half the homes in The Woodlands were built in 2000 or earlier, per the Census Bureau’s 2024 survey. A first roof on one of those is past twenty. It can still qualify if it’s sound, and that’s worth knowing before anyone quotes you a new one. There’s more on timing on our page about treating newer roofs.
The C&D Annual Roof Checkup
This is the plan above, done for you. Once a year, I come back with a ladder and a camera. I photograph every slope. I clear the needles and leaves off the roof and out of the gutters. I check the treated shingles, the pipe boots and the flashing. Then I send you the photos, so you can see your roof without climbing on it.
After hail or high wind, you get a storm check too. You don’t have to remember any of it. The price is per visit and depends on your roof, so ask me for yours. The details are on the C&D Annual Roof Checkup page. If it’s mostly the gutters bugging you, start with gutter cleaning.
What you can check from the yard
You don’t need to climb anything for this. Walk around the house once a month.
- Look at the ground under each downspout. A pile of gritty granules means the shingles are shedding.
- Look along the gutters. Water stains on the board behind them usually mean they’re spilling over.
- Look for black streaks on the roof. That’s algae, and in The Woodlands it’s a covenant item.
- Look for lifted or missing shingles after a windy night.
- Look at the valleys. If you can see a ridge of needles from the street, it’s time.
Start with a baseline
A plan works best with a starting point. That’s what the free roof inspection gives you: photos of every slope today, so next year we have something to compare against. We work The Woodlands and its villages, from Creekside Park to Panther Creek. Our page on roof rejuvenation in The Woodlands covers the local details. Book the free assessment, or call or text (281) 466-7436 to get on the calendar.