Why You Should Not Consider DIY Roof Restoration Services?

Roof Restoration or maintenance is one of the most neglected areas of home maintenance. Many homeowners invest in other areas of their home, such as landscaping and paintwork but fail to check their roofing. This could lead to costly consequences over time.

A roof, whether it is tiled or colorbond metal, can be quite durable, but due to the extreme weather conditions in Adelaide (strong winds and occasional hail), parts of the it could get damaged without our knowledge. A single damaged tile on a roof could result in water leakage into your home. And if the water gets onto electronic equipment or items that are prone to water damage, the consequences could be irreversible.

So should you be taking on roof restoration yourself? It’s possible. Actually, it is not a complicated process. However, it does require quite bit of work, and you will need to gain access to the top of your roof. An extended ladder would be needed and extra measures should be observed for your personal safety. For instance, strong winds could cause one to lose balance or footing, and could result in an accident.

Most home owners would prefer to engage a roof restoration company. Instead of risking personal safety and spending days on a roof in the cold wind, it’s often better to outsource this kind of work. Roof restoration companies also have special equipment, cleaning chemicals and expert tradespeople that ensure you get a professional job done.

Let’s look at what is required for roof restoration – so you can decide if it’s something you prefer to do yourself, or to outsource to a roofing company. Check out our range of roof restoration services here. 

The Steps Roof Restoration Process

Roof Assessment

The first thing that needs to happen is to have your roof carefully assessed for damage points. This will require an end to end walkthrough of your roof, scanning every point for signs of damage. Generally, damages will be in the form of cracked or broken tiles, punctured metal sheets (hail damage or fallen objects), or even old tiles in danger of breaking. Leakage is also checked to see if certain spots of the roof are leaking. Photos should be taken of damaged points so that these can be systematically fixed during the repairs.

When walking on the roof, it is very important that you or the installer adorns proper safety wear, such as non-slip boots. This will ensure no accidents happen. The roof assessment process may take an hour or more, depending on the size of the roof. It is perhaps one of the most critical phases of roof restoration, as you do not want to miss out on any damage points. Given that roof, restoration would only be done once in 5 or 10 years. 

Roof Cleaning

The next step is to wash out the roof with a high-pressure hose. This removes years of dirt, grime and debris from the roof. It is important to ensure that the gutters are also cleared and clean. During the cleaning process, damaged points will become clearer as the dirt gets washed off.

In addition, its also a good time to check for roof leakages, as water is run over the roof. Any points where water leakage or seepage is observed should be marked or photographed so that they can be fixed in the repair phase.

Roof cleaning is an important step as you want the roof to be absolutely clean before the chemical treatment or coating is applied.

Roof Repairs

This is perhaps the most critical step in the roof restoration process. Repairing a roof is a detailed process of following up on every damage point identified in the assessment stage. Broken or damaged sections of the roof are replaced with matching tiles/metal sheets, and carefully mended. Workmanship is important as poor quality work could come back to haunt you, in the form of water seepage or leaks.

Roof repair is probably the most compelling reason you would want to get a professional to handle your roof restoration works. A qualified and experienced roofing expert will be able to deliver professional results – making your roof as new.

When replacing tiles, metal roofing, special tools may be required. If you intend to DIY, ensure that you look up which tools are required and stock up on the colour/type of tile or materials you require.

Chemical Treatment

Most roof restoration companies will coat the roof with a protective coating after the repair work is completed. This increases the durability of the roof, prolonging the time before the next maintenance is required. There are different types of coating chemicals with varying degrees of effectiveness and functionality. This can include waterproofing, thermal insulation, rust proofing and more. Ask your roof restoration company what type of coating they will apply for your roof.

Final Assessment

Once all the above steps are completed, a post-job assessment should be conducted. Another walkthrough of the roof is essential to identify and areas that have been missed out. This final step is very important to ensure that everything is done completely and appropriately.

The Risks of DIY Roof Repair and Restoration

Working on your roof can be an exciting experience. With internet accessibility and ease of access to information, you can get plenty of useful resources that can help you carry out your roof repair and roof restoration. However, some projects are best left to experts, and as satisfying as a DIY roofing project may seem, it can expose you to many risks. Here are several problems you’re likely to encounter if you choose to tackle your roofing project on your own. Looking for roof restoration Melbourne? Look no further! Top Glaze has you covered.

Safety Concerns

As with most projects, safety comes first. Roofing is inherently hazardous. Climbing up your roof and carrying heavy equipment around puts your safety and well being at risk. Should you have an accident and injure yourself, the costs may be higher than if you were to hire a professional in the first place. Falling off a roof, for example, may result in injury and the medical bills that come will undoubtedly negate any savings you may have made by choosing to repair or restore the roof on your own.

Workmanship

Most roofing repairs can be complicated, so you need knowledge and the right set of skills to do the job right. Only a roofing expert can guarantee consistent and high-quality results. By handling repairs and restoration by yourself, you may miss out on a thing or two that may ultimately turn into a costly affair. Moreover, improper repairs can compromise your roof’s integrity and affect your roof’s performance and service life.

Warranties

Your roof’s warranty is a critical aspect of your investment as it’s likely to cover everything from manufacturing defects to labour. Most roofing companies will cancel your warranty if anyone other than a professional or certified roofing expert works on your roof. By going the DIY route, you risk voiding your warranty, which can be costly in the long run.

Poor Choice of Materials

With little to no experience about roofing, it easy to pick the wrong material for roofing repair and maintenance. You’re probably going to have to source roofing material for your local hardware store. While the costs might be lower, it’s hard to get a guarantee on the quality and value. On the other hand, professional roofing companies have access to high-quality materials and are better placed to choose the best materials to match your roofs colour and design. Also, picking the wrong material will likely result in the need for additional repairs.

Reasons to Avoid DIY Roof Repair

When your roof begins to leak, you notice a few shingles blown off and lying in your yard, or a portion of your roofing gets pummelled by a hailstorm, you may be tempted to attempt a DIY roof repair.

But that may not always be the best approach. Professional roofing contractors have expertise that the average homeowner usually lacks – and there are many dangers of DIY roof repair. Top Glaze has the best range of help if you’re looking for Melbourne roof repairs.

Here are the top 5 reasons why it makes more sense for most people to contact help rather than just tackle roofing problems on their own.

You Could Misdiagnose The Problem

There are many different causes of roof problems and various types of roof repair needs. It’s not always easy for someone inexperienced in roofing to even diagnose the problem correctly, much less to know how to best fix it. But roofers deal with all manner of roofing damage every day and know how to find the source of the issue fast.

You Might Further Damage Your Roof

One of the biggest dangers of DIY roofing by the inexperienced is that you could easily further damage your roof in the process of trying to repair it. For example – walking on hot shingles can tear them and scrape off the surface granules, taking up shingles may result in damaging adjacent ones, and putting a nail in the wrong part of roofing flashing can lead to a leak.

It’s Easy To Injure Yourself During A Roof Repair

The most important reason to opt for a professional contractor to handle your roof repair job, however, doesn’t concern your roof at all. It has to do with safety. Just walking on a rooftop is risky if you aren’t used to it, especially with steep-pitched roofs. And then there are also the dangers of tripping over roof vents, falling off a ladder, or of accidentally touching a power line.

DIY Repairs Can Waste Time & Money

DIY roofing often leads to multiple attempts to fix a leak or other roofing problem, which eats up time, effort, and money for materials. And that doesn’t even take into account the frustration factor. Plus, a roofing repair likely won’t be covered by your homeowner’s insurance policy if you do it yourself.

Finally, when you have a lot of false starts, which equals delays on actually fixing the problem, roof leaks have more time to get in and damage your home’s interior.

You Want To “Pick The Roofer’s Brain”

Good roofing advice is as valuable as the roof repair itself. When you rely on a pro to fix your roof, you also get the chance to “pick your roofer’s brain” to get answers to all of your questions about your roof. And the roofer himself may notice other problems or issues that may need to be addressed either now or at a later date.

The Risk Of Injuring Yourself

If you aren’t comfortable with heights or with walking on a sloped surface, then roof work is not for you. Walking safely on a rooftop is a skill you develop over time when you do it for a living, but serious injury or even death can result if you fall off the roof.

Additionally, you have to be comfortable working off a ladder, alert to avoid power lines, and (in some cases) able to safely use nail guns and other potentially dangerous tools.

Leaks Can Be Hard To Find / Stop

It may be easy enough to spot where a leak is dripping or pouring through the ceiling into your home’s interior, but finding its exact location on the roof is another matter.

Roofers have deep experience at deciphering the signs that point to where the roof leak is likely located. They know which areas are particularly prone to leaks, their causes, and how to stop them. Nothing can be more frustrating than thinking you fixed it only to watch the leak start up again next time it rains.

You Could Damage Your Roof

Sadly, it is all too easy to do more harm than good to your roof for the lack of sufficient roofing experience. For example, walking on a hot roof often will damage the shingles. Or, you might put a nail in the wrong spot and cause a leak.

Working on a roof problem without a full understanding of how the full roofing system works may actually end up making the roof damage worse.

You May Void The Roof’s Warranty

Suppose you do cause damage to a roof you are trying to repair or fail to do the roof repair in a particular fashion. In that case, it is possible that the manufacturer’s warranty on your roofing could be voided as a result.

That’s obviously not a risk you want to take. But pro contractors know exactly how to protect roofing warranties because they have to deal with them every day.

You Could Actually Lose Money

Presumably, saving a dollar is what motivates one to try their hand at roof repairs. But there are some ways that it could actually lose you money. For example, your homeowners insurance probably won’t cover DIY roof repairs. And you could lose out on potential tax deductions. If you fail to protect the value of your home if repairs work isn’t done properly.