Roofing: What Every Homeowner Should Know

Unless it is your profession, you probably haven’t gone out of your way to learn a great deal about roofing. And that’s fine. This article isn’t meant as a tutorial to putting shingles on your house. It is meant, however, to give you some basic understanding of some concepts that will help you protect your investment, prepare for eventualities, and deal with contractors when it is time to get some work done. It should go without saying, but your roof is the primary protector of your greatest investment. Treat it with the respect and care it deserves and it will continue to provide guardianship for your home.

One thing that many homeowners have to find out the hard way: roofing contractors will lie to you. Well, maybe that’s not fair. They will provide you with best case scenario speech. Yes, that sounds better. What this means in a nutshell is that a contractor is likely to tell you that a roof is going to last longer than it probably will. Why is that? Because things happen. Weather, storms, debris, and unexpected fallen trees can create holes and damage where once there were none. None of this can be foreseen, but unless you are very lucky, you will have to repair or replace your roof before you hoped. Just plan for that and understand that this is the way of the world.

Another thing you should know about roofing: your current roof could be costing you money. This is something you should probably look into, especially considering the rising cost of oil and the exorbitant electric bills that people have begun to notice across the country. If you don’t have the proper insulation, your money could be soaring right out through the cracks in your roof. Have a good inspector come out and see what can be done. There are insulation solutions for every budget.

Finally, if you have roofing issues, get them sorted out as quickly as possible. There are small fixes you can do yourself many times if you don’t have the money to spend on a major repair. Having said that, few of those small fixes were meant to stand on their own for long. As soon as you get the chance, any damage should be looked at by a professional. Leaking can not only cause problems with mold and indoor water damage, it can structurally weaken the roof itself. Don’t let a small problem become something much more sinister.