There a many things that can contribute to a roofs deterioration and ultimate failure. From neglect, sloppy work, and cheap materials to natural elements such as age, storms, environment and normal wear and tear. Fortunately, much of it is preventable. For a roof to last as long as possible, it’s important for homeowners to know what causes the problems in the first place.
Knowing what you can control and what you cannot can not only help your roof reach it’s expected lifetime but in many cases, exceed it. Yes, even if your roof is rated for 20 – 30 years, with proper maintenance and care your roof can outlast it’s expected life by years, even decades!
The following are the 3 most common causes of roof problems that can be prevented.
Lack of maintenance
Neglecting one’s roof occurs for a variety of reasons from financial difficulties to business continuity. Regardless of the reason, the end result usually ends the same. A small issue begins and without being detected it turns into a major repair or even a complete roof replacement. In other cases simply having the gutters cleaned would have prevented thousands in damage.
Regular maintenance and addressing problems when they are noticed between maintenance is the best way to make sure your roof lasts as long as it can. Homeowners should have yearly professional inspections while businesses should have them twice a year. Keep your gutters and the roof clear of debris, while having small problems repaired as you go.
Improper repairs
Hiring Uncle Bob or those guys that stop by, knocking on your door, offering unbelievable deals to repair or replace your roof sounds great at first, until you experience the problems that inevitably come with using substandard roofers. That’s if you’re lucky and they don’t just run off with your money.
Many may have good intentions and some may be earnest but “rookie” errors, like using materials not intended for the roof type or incorrectly calculating pitches and angles, can cause permanent damage to a roof.
If you aren’t experienced in roof repairs, it’s better to leave it to the professionals. “Macgyver-ing” as solution may seem like a good idea but in too many cases it makes the problem worse. When hiring a professional be sure to do your homework and be sure the people you hire will do the job right.
Poor initial installation/bad workmanship
Fly-by-night and other cheap roofers and unscrupulous roofing companies can charge much less than legitimate companies by using sub-par and other cheap materials never meant to be used on a roof.
It may sound great at first but a faulty roof installation dramatically increases the likelihood of problems and reduces your roofs life expectancy. Worse still, most of these roofers don’t have the knowledge to stay in business long so when the problems happen, the homeowner is on the hook for the costs to repair.
Poor workmanship isn’t always evident when the job is completed, but becomes obvious as the years go by as problems occur year after year and the life of the roof is substantially reduced. Do yourself a favor and be sure your roofer is qualified with a long record of quality and customer satisfaction to avoid this.
Educating yourself and researching the roofers or roofing company you use is your best weapon against being a victim of poor workmanship. Never hire a roof contractor based on price alone and do your homework so if a problem does happen, you know they’ll be around to fix it
In Metro Atlanta, Atlanta Roofing Specialists have been helping home and commercial building owners for 27 years! For an estimate or assistance with a roof maintenance plan call us today at (770) 419-2222!