Bad roof repair

Why Roof Repairs Should Be Prompt & Are Best Left To The Pros

No one likes unexpected expenses, especially big ones.  When it comes to roofing problems, too many underestimate roof damage and either attempt to jury rig a solution, “fix it” themselves, or worse ignore it altogether!

This can and often does have very expensive consequences, as most people aren’t experts in roofing systems and when the roof fails to route water properly, the damage grows and spreads. The longer the problem sits, the worse it gets.

The following is a couple of true stories of one homeowner who thought he’d patch a hole in his roof himself, thinking it would be an “easy fix” only to find out he made the problem much, much worse and another who noticed problems but ignored them for a year:

The consequences of bad roof repairs often result in very expensive repairs later on!

DIY Roof Repair

Yes, that is a piece of plywood, stealthily painted to sort of match the roof and actually screwed into the roof! Apparently a tree trimmer dropped a branch onto the roof, damaging it. When the homeowner noticed it, he thought he’d just patch it with the plywood. Thinking this would solve the problem. it remained there for 2 years! From the surface it didn’t look so bad.

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After noticing mysterious leaks he could not locate the source of, he finally called in a roof contractor to help. The roof contractor went straight the earlier repair.

After the roof contractor removed the “patch”, well, you can see for yourself. Rotted shingles, wood, decking, an expensive mess indeed as a large portion of the decking/plywood under the patch and below it had to be replaced.

But wait, there’s more!

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While making the “repair”, our hapless homeowner apparently had misstepped and unwittingly cracked a good portion of the edge shingles.

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And missed a spot. A relatively small looking hole, but what lies underneath is anything but innocuous.

What does rotted decking from missing shingles or punctures look like?

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Similar damage to the prior picture. Notice how wet the plywood is. There’s no patching this, it’s tear it and all the planks around it out and replace them. Had the damage been repaired properly when it occurred, this wouldn’t have been an issue.

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In another case, these homeowners knew they had a few missing shingles here and there but thought “What is replacing a few missing shingles going to cost?” and let it go for a year. You can see from the picture above, it cost a lot for them. No other damage, just missing shingles. The picture above is what the roof contractor saw when they arrived and swept away the loose shingles that remained around the missing shingles. It was obvious this was going to turn into a much larger job.

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This is the same roof with only the rotted, dark, water-stained plywood removed, leaving the good plywood in place. All that insulation is ruined and had to be replaced. With such extensive damage, a cleanup team had to come in and spray for black mold in the attic!

These aren’t isolated incidents, this happens more often then it should. Neglecting ones roof or hiring the wrong roofer can mean the difference between a few hundred dollars in repairs to thousands.

If you notice missing, cracked, or buckled shingles or aren’t sure that DIY repair is holding up, call your local professional roof contractor today! Have your roof inspected once a year and report any damage immediately!

In Metro Atlanta call Atlanta Roofing Specialists at 770-419-2222 for a roofe repair estimate and don’t fall victim to procrastination or bad roof repairs!

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