Tips to Maintain Your Roof
The standard shingle roof will last 20 years, more or less depending on damage and natural wear and tear. Other roofing materials can last longer, but they are more expensive to install.
The extent and quality of care you give your roof along the way can shorten or lengthen the time between new roof replacements. If you play your cards right, you might end up only having to replace your roof on your home 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 much better off doing routine maintenance and small repairs as needed in order to lengthen the lifetime of your home’s roof.
If you are not confident in your roofing abilities – or just hate the thought of climbing a tall ladder – you can call a licensed, certified roofer in Sugar Land to give you a hand with all of your maintenance and repair projects.
PREVENTATIVE ROOF CARE
Doing projects to prevent roof damage before it occurs is the cheapest route to extend the lifetime of your home’s roof. Here are a couple of preventative care projects for your home’s roof:
Cut tree limbs that hang over your roof. Strong winds and rain can break tree limbs and even knock over whole trees. Rotting, dying trees can also drop their heavy branches onto your roof if they’re not routinely pruned. Falling limbs ruin all types of roofs, including asphalt shingles and metal roofs.
Install rain gutter guards. Gutter guards are metal or mesh covers installed over your rain gutters to reduce clogging. They can limit the amount of gutter cleaning you have to do and prevent overflow into your landscaping. You can install gutter guards on your own or leave the work to a roofer or gutter cleaning service in Sugar Land.
Schedule routine 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 such as rust or tarnish. Having inspections done by a roofing pro can let you know if there’s a problem that needs to be taken care of.
Apply a roof coating. Roof coatings replenish the oils from shingles so they don’t dry out, helping your roof last 5 years or more beyond its expected lifetime. There are regular and plant-based products so you can feel safe about putting these coatings on your home, where they will run off and come in contact with your children, pets and landscaping.
Ensure your insulation and ventilation system are in prime condition. Too much or too little 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 odors in your house. Besides being a nuisance, mold and mildew will eat away at wood and other materials, weakening your home’s structure.
ROUTINE ROOF MAINTENANCE
From time to time, you’ll have to complete some general maintenance on your home’s roof. If this is done in a timely manner, you’ll prevent leaks and extend the lifetime of your roof, regardless of the materials it’s made of.
Do these chores 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 limit the risk of pests and rodents building nests on your home’s roof, and it will immediately freshen up the curb appeal. Supreme Sugar Land Pressure Washing offers roof cleaning in Sugar Land as one of our services.
Gutter cleaning. Cleaning out rain gutters is a necessary part of home ownership. Check your rain gutters regularly, especially while it’s raining, to see if there are clogs that should be cleared. Most gutter experts recommend gutter cleaning once in the spring months and again in the fall season.
Remove moss. If moss begins to grow, it means that your roof is shaded and stays very moist. Moss’s roots can attach to shingles and other materials and damage them if it isn’t eliminated fast enough. Typically homeowners choose to have a professional service do this so no damage is done in the process.
MINOR ROOF REPAIRS
Damages happen, but so long as you tend to them quickly, no major problems should result. If you are a handyman, you might feel confident enough doing small repairs yourself. But if not, professional roofing companies in Sugar Land are able to tackle these fast fixes for you to keep your roof in good shape.
Replace damaged or worn shingles. Shingles have asphalt bits attached to them. The texture can be removed from the shingles by debris, hail or strong rain storms. These asphalt pieces help to protect your home’s roof. If they start to come off, the roof will begin to look worn, but, more importantly, it won’t protect what’s below. Only a small section needs to be re-shingled if the damage is only superficial.
Replace fascia. Sometimes, the section of your home’s roof that sits between the roof material and the top of the exterior wall (called the fascia) will have to be replaced. The fascia can leak, letting mold and mildew into your home, and sometimes pests.
Re-caulk around the flashings. Flashings fill in the gaps on the roof where it is impossible to place roofing material. It’s the most common location for leaks on a roof, and it is easily damaged. If more complicated work is required, replacing the flashing is a simple project for professionals and proficient homeowners as well.
YOUR ROOF NEEDS LOVE TOO!
The roof is often the most expensive home maintenance costs. With the typical lifetime of a roof being between 20 and 30 years, you will probably only have to install a new one one or two times. Of course, if you move often, you might end up replacing a lot of roofs in your lifetime.
When buying a new house, a roof inspection is definitely worth your time. You can also include the price of a new roof – if one is needed – in the closing costs or ask that the seller has the roof replaced prior to the sale. When selling a house, give Supreme Sugar Land Pressure Washing a call for professional roof cleaning in Sugar Land to improve curb appeal for interested buyers.