How do you keep your roof in good shape? Easy—by paying attention. Inspecting your roof for signs of damage should be done annually, but most people don’t.
Most roofs made of asphalt are designed to last usefully for about a decade and a half, and roofs made of metal, slate, or tile last even longer, but you should still buck the trend of ignoring the roof and make sure your roof is properly maintained—after all, useful service is a bare minimum that you should endeavor to surpass.
Take a stroll outside and look, really look, at your roof. Usually you take it for granted—it’s there, it has shingles, it keeps the rain out. Now that you’re taking a good look at it, does anything look out of place? Are there shingles that are loose, maybe damaged, or even shingles which have black streaks on them? Are trees touching your roof? If you answered yes to the above questions, then it’s time for a check up.
Surprisingly, the sun does more to damage a roof than wind or rain. The constant bombardment of the sun’s rays works to make shingles brittle over time. The sun also softens the tar that binds shingles together, which makes them susceptible to warping. Due to warping and cracking, rainwater can penetrate through the interlocking system of shingles your roof integrity depends on.
Rain and wind, after the sun, are the most common causes of roof leaks. Stormy weather can make shingles shift, bypass imperfect seals around vents and flashing, and otherwise infiltrate beneath the shingles and roofing felt
First, expect some leakage problems. Try to know the history of the roof by inquiring what materials are used in constructing the roof. Have a structural engineer or a person knowledgeable in this thing to explain to you how they constructed the roofing of the house you considering buying.
Next, you look on the durability of the materials used. Structural engineers do have some standards on the materials they are using in roofing and at the same time computing for the life span of the materials used. There is a probability that different materials are used, so these are things that you also need to consider.
Lastly, never forget that once you have occupied the house, that every day there is a possibility for roof problems. Just remember the things that you need to infuse in your mind in order to be prepared for any roof problems that you will encounter.
How do you keep your roof in good shape? Easy—by paying attention. Inspecting your roof for signs of damage should be done annually, but most people don’t.
