Every house tells a story, and most of it unfolds in the mundane: the creak of a stair, the smell after rain seeps into soil near the foundation, the slow fade of paint in the afternoon sun. What’s often missing from that story is what didn’t go wrong—because a responsible homeowner took care of business before it could. Annual maintenance, often dismissed as a chore, is more accurately a series of routines that preserve the soul and structure of a home. Inspecting the Roof: Overhead, Often Overlooked The roof isn’t just overhead protection; it’s a first line of defense against…