A good roof protects you and your family from the elements. When the roof begins to fail, it can damage areas inside your home. Knowing how to care for your roof can really save you trouble in time. Prepare yourself to keep your roof well-maintained by reading the tips in this article.
You should inspect your roof carefully on an annual basis. A roof will suffer the most damage during winter and springtime. Because of this, it is especially important to inspect your roof during these seasons.
Leaks often come from shingles, but you should also inspect the foundations of your roof. Dry rot in siding can allow water to enter your home. You need to be checking all potential entry points so that you can find the problem.
Don’t try to fix your roof in inclement weather. A slippery or wet roof can cause you to fall; this may result in a bad injury or worse. If you want to handle roofing projects on your own, do it when it’s dry and sunny.
If a leak pops up during a storm, don’t do anything until the rain stops and you have a chance to look at the problem. Not only is there no way to quickly patch a leak, but your safety could be compromised on a slippery, wet roof. Once the sun is shining again, you can look at the roof with a fresh set of eyes.
Wear shoes with rubber soles whenever you work on top of your roof.
Nail Finder
If your shingles are looking shabby, do not hesitate to replace them. You might be tempted to put off a repair, but that can actually make the situation worse. Replacing or repairing shingles immediately can save money and stress later. Your roof will last much longer if it is properly maintained.
Mow your lawn prior to having a contractor comes to remove your roof.This helps make it easier time locating nails that fall on the ground. Even if your contractor has a nail finder, a magnetized nail finder will work at its optimum in short grass.
Make sure any roofer you choose has adequate liability insurance.The main thing that this will show you about a policy bodes well for a contractor’s reliability.Secondly, if something were to get damaged while your roof was being worked on, the roofer’s insurance will cover medical costs.
Make sure any roofer you choose has liability insurance. For starters, if a roofer has this type of insurance, you can be pretty sure that they are reliable. Secondly, should something happen to your roof as they are working on it, their insurance will pay for any problems.
Avoid paying the full amounts upfront. You may have to pay around 25% of the amount to get the job started, but avoid paying anything more. You would not want them to do a poor or incomplete work.
Don’t consider ‘quick-fixes’ for your roof repairs. It may not cost you a lot to do, but it will get more expensive in the future.The smartest thing to do is take care of any problem as quickly as you can so that nothing bad happens later on.
If you have a leak, fix it temporarily. You should purchase heavy plastic and nail it to the area. Though this technique may not be most effective, it does the job for now.
Be sure that you’re hiring a potential roofer is properly licensed.Do not simply believe that he is legitimate based off what is required.Contact the local building department and see what is necessary.
Make sure a roofing contractor has current, and make sure thy are current.Nearly every state makes licensing a requirement, so make sure your roofer has the necessary paperwork.
Always make sure that you don’t pay the full amount up front if you don’t have to. You might need to pay a quarter of the full price in order for the job to begin, but avoid paying anything more. If the job is paid for in full, the roofers may not do their best work.
A good team can achieve good results more quickly.
The age of your roof is the main factor in deciding whether you should replace it or not. Many roofs only last around twenty years before they need replaced. If you installed a roof on top of your older roof, you are going to have to redo your roofing in 20 years.
When hiring a contractor, ensure he has the proper licenses. If you don’t know what your area requires, you shouldn’t take what the roofer says about it as the truth. Call up the local building department and ask what you will need.
Check your roofing materials before putting new shingles up.
Get references for any roofer you may hire. A reputable firm will have no problem giving you their references. If you find that the company doesn’t want to give you any, it’s probably best to just move on. This might be a read flag that the contractor isn’t a true professional.
Be sure that your roofer has insurance. If your roofer does not have insurance and your property is damaged, you will have to foot the bill. Don’t simply ask if your contractor is insured, make them show you the documentation that proves it.
It’s not easy to keep a roof in great shape. Now that you know what you’re doing, it doesn’t have to come to that. You should do more research on the specific problems you run into and find the best solutions possible.