Just how much attention do you pay to the top of your house? A great deal of property owners might not even know what type of roof they have and how important it is to the overall structure of their property.
In this first blog post, I attempt to briefly outline some helpful indicators for you to lookout for with your roof which may help you identify any issues early.
As with many aspects of life, small issues with roofs will wind up being big issues and obviously more expensive issues. It’s wise to address things early.
Some of these items might indicate your roof could do with attention such as a roof restoration, roof clean and roof paint, or worse case roof replacement.
1. Visual Appearance
Given that the roof contributes to such a large overall area of a building, it has a significant impact on the overall appearance of your home. An old roof that is looking tired and worn out will detract from the building’s appearance and also possibly decrease the value of the property.
The roof of a building has a particularly demanding role as it is the main defense against the outside elements. It’s no wonder that time can render a roof looking tired and worn.
A professional roof restoration job will, among other things, remove dirt, lichen and algae from the roof, and also includes painting (or sealing) the roof. The result being an affordable way to have your roof looking new again and refreshing your home’s overall looks whilst possibly increasing the value.
If your roof exhibits any of the following, you might consider a roof restoration;
- The roof is so discolored you’re not sure what the original color was
- Covered in mold, lichen, algae and dirt
- Broken and/or dislodged tiles
- Missing tiles
- Ridge capping that is showing signs of wear
- Rust (in case of a metal roof)
- Lifting and/or unsecured roofing sheets (metal roofs).
2. Broken, Displaced and Missing Tiles and/or Ridge Capping
You should check your roof carefully and regularly for broken, displaced and/or missing tiles and ridge capping. In the case of metal roofs, check for roof sheets that are unsecured, loose or mis-aligned.
Any of these issues could represent problems that worse than aesthetic appearances. These issues could allow water into the building which can be harmful to the interior of the building.
If you discover any of the above issues, call a roofing professional sooner rather than later. Most roofing companies will be happy to inspect your building and give you advice on what needs to be done and most will also provide you with a free estimate.
A roof restoration will include carrying out repairs to the roof and obviously a roof replacement will eliminate any repairs required.
3. Internal Assessment
After you checked your roof from the outside, you should continue to on to check the interior of your building for signs of roofing problems, particularly if you were unable to check outside thoroughly due to access issues.
Make sure you cover your entire building, go from area to area, look completely at the ceilings, walls, cornices and examine that there is no discoloring that may indicate a water leakage. If you see any mold, this can also indicate the presence of moisture in the roof interior that may have been caused by a leaking roof.
4. Extend the life of your Roof
A roof restoration can be carried out much more cheaply than a roof replacement and if done professionally, will increase your roof’s lifespan. This is because the roof will be cleaned, then painted (aka sealed) with a minimum of 2 coats of protective paint. This protective paint would have been applied to your roof originally, but over time and with having to hold up to the elements, would have deteriorated.
Definition of the term “roof”
Just for fun, the Merriam-Webster website has more information than you ever wanted to know on the definition of the word “roof” – check it out at http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roof.