Tips to Maintain Your Roof
The typical shingle roof lasts 20-25 years, 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 shorten or lengthen the time between new roof replacements. If you play your cards right, you might end up only having to replace your roof once in your lifetime, just as long as you give it the maintenance it requires.
Roof replacement is expensive regardless of the type of roof. You’re a lot better off in the long run doing maintenance and minor repairs as they arise in order to extend the lifetime of your home’s roof.
If you are not confident in your roofing skills – or just hate the thought of climbing up a tall ladder – you can hire a licensed, certified roofer to help you with all of your maintenance and repair projects.
PREVENTATIVE ROOF CARE
Doing projects to prevent roof damage before it happens is the most affordable way to increase the lifetime of your home’s roof. Here are a few preventative care measures for your home’s roof:
Cut tree limbs that hang over your roof. High winds and rain storms can break tree limbs and even push over whole trees. Rotting, dying trees will also drop their heavy branches onto your roof if they are 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 reduce the amount of gutter cleaning that you have to do and prevent rain flowing into your yard. You can install gutter guards yourself or leave the work to a roofer or gutter cleaning company.
Schedule regular inspections. Shingles start to lose asphalt granules after a few years, and metal roofs can get dented or start to show signs of aging such as rust or tarnish. Having regular inspections done by a roofing company will let you know if there’s a problem that should be repaired.
Apply a roof coating. Roof coatings replenish the oils from 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 applying these products on your home, where they will inevitably run off and possibly be in contact with your children, pets and lawn.
Make sure your insulation and ventilation system are in good condition. Too much or not enough insulation can create a condensation problem. Limited ventilation will lead to trapped moisture. This can quickly result in mold and mildew growth, as well as odors throughout your home. Besides being a nuisance, mold and mildew will ruin wood and other home materials, weakening your home’s structure.
ROUTINE ROOF MAINTENANCE
Here and there, you’ll need to complete some general maintenance on your home’s roof. If this is done in a timely manner, you’ll prevent leaks and increase the lifetime of your roof, regardless of the materials it’s made from.
Do these things at least once every 12 months to prevent damages and keep your home’s roof looking good:
Roof cleaning. Cleaning a roof removes debris, mold and dirt. This will reduce the risk of pests building nests on your home’s roof, and it will instantly freshen up the curb appeal. Melbourne Pressure Washing offers roof cleaning in Melbourne as one of our services.
Gutter cleaning. Cleaning out the gutters is a necessary part of home ownership. Inspect your gutters often, especially if it’s raining, to observe if there are clogs that should be cleared. Most gutter experts recommend gutter cleaning once in the spring and again in the fall.
Remove moss. If moss begins to grow, it probably means that your roof is too shaded and stays relatively moist. Moss’s roots can attach to shingles and other materials and damage them if it isn’t eliminated fast enough. Typically homeowners prefer to have a professional do this so no unnecessary damage is done in the process.
MINOR ROOF REPAIRS
Damages will happen, but as long as you take care of them quickly, no major issues should occur. If you are a capable handyman, you may feel confident doing minor repairs yourself. But if not, professional roofing companies are trained 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 removed from the shingles by debris, hail or strong rain. These asphalt pieces help to protect your home’s roof. If they start to come off, the roof will start to look worn, but, most importantly, it won’t protect what’s underneath. Only a section needs to be re-shingled if the damage is superficial.
Replace fascia. Occasionally, the section of your home’s roof that rests 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, allowing mold and mildew into your home, plus pests.
Re-caulk around the flashings. Flashings fill in the gaps on the roof where it is hard to place roofing material. It’s the most common location for leaks on a roof, and it is easily damaged. If more extensive work is needed, replacing the flashing is also an easy task for professionals and proficient homeowners as well.
YOUR ROOF NEEDS LOVE TOO!
The roof is one of 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 once or twice. Of course, if you move frequently, you might end up replacing quite a few roofs during your lifetime.
When purchasing a new home, a roof inspection is definitely worth your money. You can also include the price of a new roof – if one is needed – in the closing costs or ask that the home seller have the roof replaced before the sale. When selling a home, give Melbourne Pressure Washing a call for professional roof cleaning in Melbourne to improve curb appeal for interested buyers.