Why Education Is Essential to Ensuring That Homeowners Take Better Care of Their Roofs

The roof is a critical part of any home, yet it’s rarely thought about by homeowners who are more often concerned with remodeling the kitchen for a second time or landscaping the backyard. However, the extent of the problems created when a roof is poorly maintained is difficult to quantify.

Homeowners must do what they can to care for their roofs more. Being educated on the subject often makes a huge difference in both making homeowners aware of the importance, and giving them suggestions for action to take.

Weather Patterns Are Becoming More Erratic

Whether you believe that the weather is being affected by global warming or not, it has escaped a few people’s notice that storms are becoming stronger. Storms are ravaging both coastal and inland communities and causing property damage.

Before you think that they’re not bad enough to rock the foundation, that may be true. However, a roof is made up of protective layers that can be dislodged or disturbed as a result of either strong winds or debris like a falling tree branch hitting the roofing shingles.

Damage to a Roof Happens Slowly

Damage that ultimately causes a roof to become completely unstable or to collapse creeps up on you. Most homeowners are the same – they only pay a small amount of attention when they notice a steady dripping of water coming through.

Usually, roof shingles become dislodged from the roof at some point. From there, future rainfall (not just major storms) allows water to penetrate below the surface. While there are protective waterproof membranes and other layers to the roof, they’re not completely impenetrable to a volume of water over a prolonged period. One enduring rainy day could do it, or a series of light showers over months with missing roofing shingles could allow too much water inside the roofing structure.

Homeowners Need to Know About Roof Inspections

An annual roof inspection is an excellent idea to protect the value of their roof and avoid major repair work due to water damage.

A qualified roof inspector gets up on the roof to look for various problems. These include:

• Leaks
• Ponding
• Cracks to the tiles
• Debris
• Weather damage
• Deformation
• Corrosion to the materials

They should also be looking at any fitted skylights for water leaks and seal issues, checking the chimney (if there is one), and inspecting the gutters too.

How to Extend the Life of a Roof

Given the cost of replacing an entire roof, it’s incumbent on homeowners to take care of their roofs. This will maintain its useful life – which is usually decades – rather than shorten it prematurely.

Structural Issues Can Become Dangerous

Any structural issues that include deformation or corrosion will eventually cause that part of the roof to give in with enough time. This could pose a safety issue if anyone lives in the attic below the roof or if debris were heavy enough to fall through several levels in the home.

Is There Enough Insulation?

Insulation, when it’s in short supply or lacks the right properties, allows ice to form on the roof during the colder months. This eventually melts and can create mini water dams that can penetrate the roof at its most vulnerable spot.

Ensure the attic is sufficiently insulated to avoid this. Also, a poorly insulated roof allows warm air to escape which adds to the heating bills too. So, there are two reasons to look closer at this.

Get the Roof Repaired by Professionals

Poor-quality roof repairs performed by generalists in DIY who don’t have much experience will serve the homeowner poorly. Don’t make that mistake yourself.

While they may offer an attractive price, not knowing the correct way to fix specific roofing issues and cutting corners on low-quality materials only costs more in the long run. They won’t be responsible for fixing the issues through their negligence later.

It’s better to use an experienced operator, like La Crosse Roofing Contractor, which is a specialist in this area. They use proper training for their staff, the best materials, and make correct recommendations for how to proceed.

What Else Can Homeowners Do?

If you wish to be proactive, then you should check the obvious signs of a problem to rectify them before the annual inspection comes around. Certainly, you should look at whether there’s an issue with too little insulation in the attic. This can be resolved soon, and it definitely needs doing before winter.

Also, check the guttering all around the home. Is it intact, undamaged, and without any debris clogging it up? Do you see telltale signs of water pooling in specific areas suggesting a problem area? In which case, get a ladder, carefully go up it (with someone holding it in place), and check for clogging in that spot.

By being proactive about your roof, getting an annual inspection, and giving the go-ahead to get any repair work done early, it prevents worse and costlier roof repairs down the line.