The roof to your house is as important as any other part of your home. However, most individuals do not pay much attention to the state of their roof which can be a costly danger in the long run.
A damage free roof ensures you and your family are safe from any curve the weather may send your way. Keeping your roof damage-free can guarantee your safety in the long run, and save you a lot of cash.
Not only will be it safer, but it will prevent water leaks coming through the roof into your attic. Often people do not go up into their loft for many months at a time so do not notice the leaks until it’s too late.
Here are some suggestions that will assist you to keep your roof damage free:
#1 Inspect your roof
Go up on your roof and look for any cracks or holes that may be forming without your knowledge.
It gives you a clue of what is happening up there, and you can anticipate any repairs required by your roof early enough to prevent any costly damages. Regular inspection of your roof will also give you enough time to contact experts in case you see damage that you need to address.
Do this once or twice a year. Go up and look for bubbling areas which could indicate water pooling underneath or damaged and missing tiles.
If you can’t get up there, use a pair of binoculars from across the road to look at the different parts of it more closely.
Here is a good video that helps you to walk through step-by-step about how to test for water leaks in the roof:
#2 Watch out for trees
Trees around your home provide fantastic shade, shelter and a place to rest during the hot summer days.
However, trees around your house can be a danger and a significant hazard to your roof, especially when left unattended.
There are some safety considerations so if you’re buying a new home, check out this guide on how close trees can be to your home to prevent issues further down the line. It’s also a good guide if you are planting new trees in your garden.
Trees tend to grow over your roof and extend their branches to cover part of your house. As time goes by, these large branches can drop off, and when they fall on your roof, they cause damage to the outer part of the roof making it weak.
The larger branches leave holes in the roof when they fall compromising the quality of the ceiling altogether.
If you can trim the branches and hedges using a hedge trimmer, that can help, but often it’s a bigger job than that.
This is a task best left to the professionals to take care of, so find a tree surgeon in your local area to take care of it.
#3 Clean your gutters
Gutters are amazing when they are working fine. They pass water into your reservoir tanks for you to use later when you have water shortages or want to water your garden.
However, you require to keep them clean; otherwise; they accumulate dirt and twigs that clog and hold water in them.
If not cleaned, the water makes its way underneath the roofing structure causing costly damages to it. Keeping your gutters clean makes sure they serve their purpose and that your roof is safe from water damage.
#4 Add insulation
People living in icy areas that tend to form snow should have insulation on their roofs as this helps protect the roof from ice dams.
Ice dams form when heat escapes through the roof and melts the snow on top. When it freezes, water seeps into your home causing costly damage to the ceiling in the long run.
Repairing ice dam damages can prove very expensive and, at times, require you to replace the entire roof which mean that you require to dig deeper into your pockets.
Leaks in the roof are arguably the most significant damage that your roof will take overtime. They are, however, the least addressed problem as many people think they will go away when it is sunny and warm again.
Do not fall prey of leaky roofs and spend a lot of your hard earned money repairing these problems when you can nip the problem in the bud.
If you’re looking for a roofing company, we can recommend this quality roofing company in Liverpool for a pre-winter roof inspection among other services.