Keeping your roof in good to great condition is vital. It can protect most of your home from snow, ice, debris, hail, rain, and branches.
Repairing or replacing your roof can be expensive, but if you enjoy living in a warm, dry house – which we think most people do – it’s necessary and worth it. Instead of waiting for a minor problem to become a bigger problem, it’s important to have it assessed and fixed.
Roof Maintenance
To keep your roof from needing repair often, here are a few things that you can do yourself, or even hire someone to do for you.
- Remove old dead leaves and debris
- Power wash the mold/algae off of the shingles
- Clean the gutters and valleys of leaves
Basic maintenance can keep your roof looking like you just had it replaced, and no one would even know.
Roof Repair
Before you have to replace your entire roof, see if it can be fixed! Some fixes are quick and easy, for example, cracked shingles. When the shingles begin to crack, this means they are losing granules, and you will need to have the tabs replaced.
Replacing missing shingles is another minor repair, but depending on how large the area is, can turn into replacing the entire roof.
Patching leaks becomes more difficult and can be tricky depending on the area and size of the leak. Usually, when a leak occurs, it means the flashing around your valleys, chimneys, or skylights wasn’t installed properly. Finding the source will be the first thing, and then assessing if the damage has gone into the attic or the ceiling.
When a big storm comes through, often limbs or the whole tree falls. If it falls on your roof, chances are it’s damaged it quite a bit. Damage like this is one of the most difficult to fix, but as long as the house is still standing, and the area affected is small enough, it can be fixed.
How to Know When Your Roof Needs Replacing
Replacing your roof will have many factors. Old age is one to consider highly, along with if you notice damage to the roof, or have found a leak in your attic or ceiling.
Leaving minor fixes until they can’t be fixed anymore, can also result in the entire roof being replaced. The first decision your roofer will have to determine is if your roof should be stripped or be re-roofed, also called a ‘roof over’.
A roof over might save you money now, but in the long run, you’ll have to possibly get a new roof again sooner than you’d like to. Roofing contractors won’t be able to see any underlying problems, such as leaks if you opt for a roof over.
Your best option, working with your contractor, would be to strip the entire old roof, assess any damages to be fixed first, and then lay down all brand new flashing and roofing.
In both processes, you and your contractor will go over what the strongest materials to use are, determined by the type of house you have and how it’s designed, the location of the home, and how wooded the area is around your home. One of the final decisions to be made with the materials is how long you want your roof to last you. Your roof should last decades before having to be replaced again.
You’ll be in charge of what type of shingles you want to use. For example, roofing materials come as metal, wood, clay, composite shingles, or asphalt shingles. All of these shingles come in different colors to match the exterior color of your home. Choose wisely, or you’ll regret decisions made every time you pull into your driveway.
Why You Should Hire a Roofing Professional
Hiring a professional roofer is going to save you time, and money in the long run. Especially if you aren’t quite sure of what you’re doing, or if your spouse/kids won’t let you up on a ladder. Roofers will also be able to tell you about and assess any damages that you might not be able to identify on your own. They will also be able to fix a problem for you, without having to replace your entire roof.
Finding a good contractor can be difficult, but there are plenty to go around. Looking at reviews online, or asking close friends and neighbors who did theirs are good ways of finding the right one. Get yourself acquainted with one soon, before it’s too late.
Pro-Quality Contractors provides roof replacement & repair services for Indianapolis residents. Contact us today for a free roof inspection & estimate.
