Tips to Maintain Your Roof
The average shingle roof lasts around 20 years, more or less depending on damage and natural wear and tear. Other roofing materials can last longer, but are also more expensive to install.
The amount and level of care you give your roof can reduce or increase the time between roof replacements. If you are lucky, you could end up only having to install a new roof on your home once in your lifetime, just so long as you give it the maintenance it needs.
Installing a new roof is very expensive regardless of the type of roof you have. You’re much better off in the long run doing maintenance and minor repairs as they arise in order to help lengthen the lifetime of your home’s roof.
If you are not confident in your roofing abilities – or just hate the thought of climbing up a ladder – you can always find a licensed, certified roofer to give you a hand with all of your maintenance and roof repair needs.
PREVENTATIVE ROOF CARE
Doing projects to prevent most roof damage before it happens is by far the most affordable way to extend the lifetime of your home’s roof. Here are a few preventative care recommendations for your home’s roof:
Cut tree branches that hang over your roof. High winds and rain storms can break tree branches and even push over whole trees. Decaying, dying trees can also drop their heavy branches onto your roof if they’re not regularly pruned. Falling limbs ruin all types of roofs, including asphalt shingles and metal roofs.
Install gutter guards. Gutter guards are metal or mesh covers that can be installed over your gutters to prevent clogging. They can limit the amount of gutter cleaning you have to do and help prevent rain flowing into your landscaping. You can install gutter guards yourself or leave the work to a roofer or gutter cleaning company.
Have routine inspections. Shingles start to lose asphalt granules after only a few years, and metal roofs will be dented or start to show signs of age like rust or tarnish. Having inspections done by a roofing company can let you know if there’s a problem that should be resolved.
Apply a roof coating. Roof coatings renew the oils from roof shingles so they don’t dry out, helping your roof last 5 years or more beyond its expected lifetime. There are regular and plant-based products so you can feel safe about spraying these coatings on your home, where they will inevitably run off and come in contact with your children, pets and landscaping.
Make sure your insulation and ventilation system are in excellent condition. Too much or not enough insulation can create a condensation problem. Lack of ventilation can lead to trapped moisture. This can quickly lead to mold and mildew growth, as well as odors inside of your house. Besides being a nuisance, mold and mildew will eat away at wood and other home materials, weakening your home’s structure.
ROUTINE ROOF MAINTENANCE
From time to time, you’ll need to do some general maintenance on your home’s roof. If this is done often enough, you’ll help prevent leaks and extend the lifetime of your roof, regardless of the type.
Do these chores at least once every 12 months to prevent damages and keep your home’s roof looking nice:
Roof cleaning. Cleaning a roof removes debris, mold and dirt. This will limit the risk of pests building nests on your home’s roof, and it will immediately renew the appearance of your home. Murfreesboro Pressure Washing offers roof cleaning in Murfreesboro as one of our services.
Gutter cleaning. Cleaning out the gutters is a necessary part of home ownership. Check your gutters regularly, especially while it’s raining, to observe if there are clogs that need to be removed. Most companies recommend gutter cleaning once in the spring and again in the fall.
Remove moss. If moss starts growing, it means that your roof is shaded and stays relatively moist. Moss’s roots will attach to roof shingles and other materials and ruin them if it isn’t gotten rid of fast enough. Most homeowners choose to have a professional service do this so no damage is done in the process.
MINOR ROOF REPAIRS
Damages will happen, but so long as you take care of them right away, no major issues should result. If you are a capable handyman, you may feel confident doing minor roof repairs yourself. But if not, professional roofers are more than willing to tackle these fast fixes for you to keep your roof in good shape.
Replace damaged or worn shingles. Shingles have asphalt pieces attached to them. The texture can be knocked off the shingles by debris, hail or strong rain. These asphalt pieces help protect your home’s roof. If they start to come off, the roof will begin to look worn, but, most importantly, it won’t protect what’s below. Only a section needs to be re-shingled if the damage is only superficial.
Replace fascia. Occasionally, the part of your home’s roof that sits between the roof material and the top of the exterior wall (called the fascia) will also need to be replaced. The fascia can sometimes leak, letting mold and mildew into your home, and sometimes pests.
Re-caulk around the flashings. Flashings fill in gaps on the roof where it is difficult to place roofing material. It’s the perfect location for leaks on a roof, and it is very easily damaged. If more complicated work is required, replacing the flashing is also an easy project for professionals and proficient homeowners as well.
YOUR ROOF NEEDS LOVE TOO!
The roof is often the most expensive home maintenance costs. With the typical lifetime of a roof being around 20 and 30 years, you will likely only have to install a new one one or two times. Of course, if you move often, you could end up replacing quite a few roofs in your lifetime.
When buying a new house, a roof inspection is definitely worth your time. You can also include the price of a new roof – if necessary – in the closing costs or ask that the home seller have the roof replaced before the sale. When selling a house, give Murfreesboro Pressure Washing a call for professional roof cleaning in Murfreesboro to improve curb appeal for potential buyers.