Your roof is up there, now what? Leave it untended, and you're in for some trouble. The worst thing that can happen to a roof is a tree branch rubbing against it.

While you may admire that cottage-in-the-woodland look, steady swipes from even the smallest twig blowing in the wind will soon scrape away even the toughest singles.

Start with a pruning, and keep any branches a good 5 feet away from shingles, father if possible. Another common danger to roofs is moss, which sounds as innocuous as it gets.

But growing on a roof, moss traps and holds moisture, which can seep through singles and rot the structure beneath in as little as a few years. When you see that telltale greenish fuzz forming on singles, it's time to take action.

Using equal parts chlorine bleach and water, spray it to kill the moss, then scrub it gently with a soft brush, the same type you'd use on your car.

This is wet, slippery work, to be sure; unless you know what you're doing, hire someone to do it for you. Repeat this every four or five years or as needed.