Tips to Maintain Your Roof
The typical shingle roof lasts 20-25 years, more or less depending on damage and natural wear and tear. Other roofing materials will last longer, but they are more expensive to install.
The amount and level of care you give your roof along the way can shorten or lengthen the time between roof replacements. If you are good about maintaining your roof, you could end up only having to replace your roof once in your lifetime, so long as you give it the care it requires.
Roof replacement is expensive no matter the type of roof. You’re better off in the long run doing maintenance and small repairs as they arise to extend the lifetime of your home’s roof.
If you aren’t confident in your roofing abilities – or just hate the idea of climbing up a tall ladder – you can always find a licensed, certified roofer to give you a hand with all of your maintenance and repair projects.
PREVENTATIVE ROOF CARE
Doing tasks to prevent roof damage before it happens is the cheapest route to lengthen the lifetime of your home’s roof. Here are a couple of preventative care recommendations for your home’s roof:
Cut tree limbs that hang over your roof. High winds and rain can break tree limbs and even push over whole trees. Decaying, dying trees can also drop their branches onto your roof if they’re not routinely pruned. Falling limbs ruin all types of roofs, including asphalt shingles and even metal roofs.
Install gutter guards. Gutter guards are metal or mesh covers that can be installed on top of your gutters to reduce 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 on your own or leave the job to a roofer or gutter cleaning service.
Have regular inspections. Shingles begin to lose asphalt granules after only a few years, and metal roofs can get dented or begin to show signs of age like rust or tarnish. Having inspections done by a pro can let you know if there’s a problem that has to be resolved.
Apply a roof coating. Roof coatings renew the oils from shingles so they don’t dry out, making 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 come in contact with your children, pets and lawn.
Make sure your insulation and ventilation systems are in excellent condition. Too much or not enough insulation can create a condensation issue. Limited ventilation can lead to trapped moisture. This can quickly result in mold and mildew growth, as well as musty odors in your home. Besides being annoying, mold and mildew will ruin wood and other materials, damaging your home’s structure.
ROUTINE ROOF MAINTENANCE
Here and there, you’ll want to do some general maintenance on your home’s roof. If this is done in a timely manner, you’ll prevent leaks and lengthen the lifetime of your roof, regardless of the materials it’s made of.
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 will remove debris, mold and dirt. This will reduce the risk of pests and rodents building nests on your home’s roof, and it will instantly freshen up the curb appeal. PWC Elk Grove Pressure Washing offers roof cleaning in Elk Grove as one of our services.
Gutter cleaning. Cleaning out the gutters is a necessary part of home ownership. Check your gutters often, especially while it’s raining, to see if there are any 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 probably means that your roof is shaded and stays relatively moist. Moss’s roots will attach to shingles and other materials and damage them if it isn’t removed 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 quickly, no serious issues should result. If you are a capable handyman, you may feel confident enough doing small repairs yourself. But if not, professional roofing companies are certified 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 storms. These asphalt pieces help to protect your home’s roof. If they start coming off, the roof will look worn, but, more importantly, it won’t protect what’s underneath. Only a small section needs to be re-shingled if the damage is only superficial.
Replace fascia. Occasionally, the part of your home’s roof that rests between the roof material and the top of the exterior wall (called the fascia) will have to be replaced. The fascia can sometimes leak, allowing mold and mildew into your home, let alone pests.
Re-caulk around the flashings. Flashings fill in gaps on the roof where it is difficult 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 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 probably only have to replace it one or two times. Of course, if you move several times, you could end up buying a lot of roofs during your lifetime.
When purchasing a new home, a roof inspection is definitely worth your time. You can include the price of a new roof – if necessary – in the closing costs or request that the seller have the roof replaced before the sale. When selling a home, give PWC Elk Grove Pressure Washing a call for professional roof cleaning in Elk Grove to improve curb appeal for potential buyers.