Attention Lake Tahoe homeowners: Think of your roof as a sponge. Now think of your walkway as the kitchen sink.

South Shore contractors cautioned that in wet, heavy snow conditions like those experienced Monday, the danger of ice buildup and shedding should be on the minds of anyone outdoors who walks under building overhangs.

At the Meeks in Meyers, signs plastered on the building say it all about life after a snowstorm in Tahoe. They warn motorists to park at least 8 feet from the building. When the snow slides off the metal roof, Meeks office manager Holly Straubinger said the thud resembles an earthquake.

Even employees have to be aware. A snow shedding off the Meeks’ roof dumped a pile in front of the roof recently.

“We haven’t had loads like this in so many years. It’s time to look at that house. There’s so much flaky construction. A lot of these homes aren’t built for a 150-pound load,” licensed roofing contractor Steve Yonker said, referring specifically to homes built before 1980.

He figured 150 pounds may be the load many homeowners have collected on their roofs. And when you consider a cubic foot of ice can weigh 60 pounds, that load adds up.

A layer of ice lined a leaky roof over the walkway of a Los Angeles Street house in South Lake Tahoe that was deemed condemned on Jan. 5 for substandard conditions.

“When you have 4 inches of ice up here, it’s more dense than snow,” Yonker construction estimator Cyndee Orcutt said, while pointing to the roof of the condemned home.

On a field trip Monday, Orcutt discovered many homes bordering on problem collapses.

But across the street from the condemned building on Los Angeles, someone had chipped away at the overhang.

Orcutt recommends homeowners take such precautions, including: Clear carports of snow, knock down the icicles and install heat tape if a roof has a gutter.

“I’m not a huge fan of gutters without it,” she said, describing a large ice block that can collect in the streamway opening.

And for metal roofs, she suggests the owner “always consider which way the snow comes off.”

South Lake Tahoe’s minimum requirement for roof snow loads is 115 pounds, while homes in El Dorado County stand between 150 to 350.

“This is something contractors bitch about. But when times like this happen, we know why. Unfortunately, the storms we have right now are really wet. I was telling the guys I work with the last time I remember storms like this was 1982 or ’84,” contractor Ray Fernsten said.

He suggests that homeowners either knock the snow off or have someone do it.

“A $200 shoveling job could save your house,” he said.

When in doubt, Fernsten advised residents to note whether doors, windows or sliders stick as quick clues.

“If they won’t open right, you’ve got buildup,” he said.

City building inspector Dave Walker explained that ice buildup forms a dam of water that finds its way into a home or business.

Walker is more optimistic about how well buildings in Tahoe will hold up against the pressure – given their history of abuse.

“We want people to be aware of slides. But (these buildings have) gone through winters all these years,” he said. “What’s scary is (when) people built things without permits.”

Allstate insurance agent Bob Harder said Monday the industry imposes no requirements on homeowner policies.