How to Avoid Costly Roof Repairs?

The roof is an essential part of the house. It is one aspect of the house that covers us in our homes’ coziness and sets us apart from the outside world. While installing a beautiful roof on your house is good, there is a difference between a good looking roof and a good roof. The difference lies in maintenance.

Your roof is a crucial sub-system of your house and needs to be well-maintained and monitored.

Did you know it takes one missing shingle on the roof to allow all sorts of damage and costly roof repairs? Especially, if the water seeps under the shingles, which can surely accelerate the need for roof replacement due to rotting.

Damaged gutters are another costly consequence if you neglect to repair them for too long. They can significantly impact your house’s foundation. Speaking of standing water, your flat roof needs a slight pitch to prevent pooled water.

The smallest of wholes has the potential to cause a damaging leak. A sagging roof is an obvious sign the integrity of your roof has been compromised.

Extensive roof repairs can easily cost thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. It’s not something that any homeowner ever wants to face, but it happens to more people than it should.

In fact, a lot of costly roof repairs can be avoided with proper maintenance. If you’re willing to put in a little work and little money here and there, you can avoid spending thousands on more extensive repairs down the road. Keep reading to learn a few maintenance tips that will help you avoid such maintenance. Take a look at our range of roof repairs in Melbourne.

Tips to Avoid Costly Roof Repair

Maintenance is the key to protecting the condition of your roof long term. Time and harsh weather conditions can take their toll on the exterior of your home, so it’s essential for property owners to prioritize inspections and other essential tasks.

Maintenance to Avoid Expensive Roof Repairs

Maintaining your roof is like going to the dentist. It’s never a good idea to wait until you have a terrible toothache to go to the dentist. Keeping appointments for regular teeth cleanings has two benefits.

It will keep your teeth healthy and avoid painful problems. It will also save you money in the long run since cleanings are less costly than complicated procedures. The same is true of your roof.

A little maintenance and regular care have a double benefit. It will keep your roof healthy and doing its job, like saving you from water damage and high utility bills. It will also save you money in the long run, since you will mostly avoid expensive roof repairs for significant problems.

Maintaining your roof to avoid expensive roof repairs is not hard, but it does take a little know-how. And here to give you the low-down on the easiest ways to prevent costly roof repairs for your home.

Keep Your Roof Clean

They say cleanliness is next to godliness. While we can’t attest to the spiritual status of your roof, we can confirm that cleanliness is a hugely significant factor in its longevity.

Nothing will age a roof faster than letting leaves, fallen debris, moss, and other materials pile up. Luckily, it’s not hard to keep your roof clean. The key is to be consistent. Don’t wait for your roof to become a mess. Get up there and do the cleaning at least once a season. Of course, you should only get on your top if you feel comfortable. 

So what are you looking for when you clean a roof?

The first thing to look for is leaves. Atlanta is a pretty heavily-wooded city. It’s great for the beauty of our homes and neighbourhoods but places a strain on our roofs. Depending on the types of trees around your home, your roof can be covered in large leaves or tons of pine straw.

Either way, keeping those tree dropping off your roof will extend their lifespan.

Leaves can hold water, which is deadly for your roof. Moisture trapped under leaves can lead to rot and shingle damage, which is the first step in severe roof damage.

When you’re clearing leaves off your roof, don’t neglect your gutters.

Keeping your gutters clear is crucial for proper water drainage. If your gutters are clogged with leaves and other debris, water can pool at the edge of your roof.

Water that pours out over your gutters instead of into it can also damage your soffit, siding, and foundation. But if you can keep your roof and your gutters clear of leaves and tree debris, you’ve taken a significant first step to avoiding expensive roof repairs.

Checking Your Roof After A Storm

One of your roof’s main jobs is to protect you and your home from storms. But one of your jobs is to protect your roof from storms. Check your roof after a storm to identify small problems early on and avoid expensive roof repairs.

One of the most damaging parts of any storm is the high winds.

High winds damage your roof in two significant ways. First, the wind can pull at your shingles, causing tears, loose shingles, or even blowing off a shingle or two. Second, the wind can blow small and large debris onto your roof, indirectly causing serious damage.

After a storm, it’s important to check for any damaged shingles. Sometimes, you can see the damage from the ground. Dark patches or discoloured areas may be a sign of shingle damage. If you want to avoid expensive roof repairs, you’ll have to deal with damaged shingles as soon as you find them. If a shingle is knocked loose by a storm, repairing it can be as simple as applying a little roofing cement and a couple of nails.

Torn or damaged shingles can be replaced. These are cheap fixes that you can do now to avoid expensive roof repairs down the road.

If any debris has fallen on your roof, take a hard look at the damage it may have caused. A strong storm can bring down some pretty large branches. Even small branches that blow around your roof can scrape off your shingles’ protective granules.

Look for dark areas where the tar underneath the granules is exposed. It’s crucial that you replace exposed shingles before the UV rays of the sun can break them down and cause leaks. A few shingles replaced now can avoid expensive roof repairs stemming from leaks and rot.

Other Signs of Roof Damage

Like most things in life, the best way to avoid expensive roof repairs is to stay on top of the little repairs and make them quickly. Keeping an eye on your roof means looking at more than just the outermost layer of your roof. To really get a full understanding of the condition of your roof, there are some other critical signs of roof damage to look for.

Many people almost never think about their attics. But if you have an attic or crawl space between the ceiling of your home and the underside of your roof, you may want to get up there every once in a while.

At least once a year, get up in your attic and take a good hard look at the underside of your roof. This is your chance to catch any damage to the decking that forms the bottom layer of your roof.

Look for signs of water damage.

The first and easiest sign to look for is a musty smell. Your attic may be a bit stuffy, but if it smells musty or mouldy, that’s a sign something isn’t right. Look for any dark spots or water stains.

If you have insulation, look for any rot or mould on the insulation.

Moisture in your attic is not necessarily a sign of damage to your shingles. A common source of moisture in attics is condensation. Condensation can develop in your attic when there is a large difference in air temperature inside and outside the attic.

Your best defence against condensation is adequate ventilation. Building codes recommend 1 square foot of ventilation for every 150 square feet of the attic floor, split evenly between intake and exhaust. Learn more about attic ventilation in this post. Looking for a roof replacement? Check out Top Glaze for a wide range of roof services.

Roof Inspections Help Avoid Expensive Roof Repairs

As much as you want to keep an eye on your roof, there is no substitute for a professional roof inspection. How often you get your roof inspected is a matter of debate, but most roofers suggest about once every three years for a residential roof.

A professional roofer will inspect your roof for damage that may be hard to see. Loose granules, small cracks in shingles, and tiny holes can be hard to spot on your own. We’ll also look at all of your flashing, rubber boots around roof penetrations and other vulnerable parts of your roof. After we look at your roof, we’ll check out your attic or crawl space. After a thorough inspection, we can suggest small fixes that will help you avoid expensive roof repairs.

If your roof does need extensive repairs or has reached the end of its life and needs to be replaced, we offer competitive pricing and the best quality work around. If there’s an insurance claim to be made, we can walk you through the whole process.

We work with your insurance company from the first inspection to the final check to ensure you pay as little as possible. Top Glaze has a wide range of Melbourne roof restoration services. 

Tips for Roofing Preventive Maintenance Inspections

1. Remove all debris. Debris such as loose gravel, dirt, leaves, and twigs should be removed. These materials can retain water if left on the roof. The constant moisture can cause damage to the roof, promote the growth of algae and mould, and cause standing water to form.

2. Clear drains. Field drains and auxiliary drains should be cleared to prevent ponding that may cause leaks or structural damage.

3. Inspect the roof surface. Perform a visual inspection of the roof system. On single-ply roofs, inspect for holes, cracks, or fastener back-out. On built-up roofs, look for areas with missing gravel or exposed felts. Inspect roof seams and transitions for cracks or holes and have them sealed. This inspection may raise questions about the integrity of the roof membrane that justify a professional examination.

4. Inspect roof penetrations. Roof penetrations include pipes, drains, and other components that protrude through the roof surface. Roof penetrations are highly susceptible to leaks. It is very important to examine HVAC units, conduits, vents, gas lines, rain collars, and pipe boots. If that a roof penetration is leaking or damaged, the problem should be professionally diagnosed and repaired.

5. Evaluate the rooftop perimeter. Walk the roof perimeter to inspect the edge details and note any areas of concern, including soft spots, mould, or algae. Inspect the flashing at walls and curbs for any punctures or damage.

6. Inspect the sealant. Keep an eye out for sealant or caulking issues such as cracking, openings, deterioration, or crazing. Sealant failures are often found around penetrations and perimeter flashings. Sealant requires regular inspection and often has to be repaired.

7. Prevent leaks before they start. A roof inspection may reveal areas of deterioration that will require repair. Repairing these small defects before they become major issues will save thousands of dollars down the road. If the damage is beyond the facility staff skillset, or you are uncertain of the proper repair, contact a professional.

8. Perform additional investigations. If the areas of deterioration require additional investigation, consider destructive testing, which requires making an opening for closer inspection, or non-destructive testing, such as infrared scanning, to determine the severity of the issue.

9. Ensure the Roof is Ventilated. If you’re buying a home or just inspecting one that you’re just settling into, you must make sure the roof is built to breathe. Without proper ventilation, your roof rafting and sheathing will rot because of the heat and moisture trapped within. The roof materials will buckle and bend, and the insulation will not be as effective as it should be, introducing a number of problems for your home.

10. Maintain Your Roof, Maintain Your Home. Your roof is the exterior barrier to the interior of your home, and these maintenance tips can help protect it and everything below. Any homeowner wants to not have any surprises, and one way to make sure of that is to inspect your roof as a part of your yearly house chores, and on occasion, after a big storm.