Tips to Maintain Your Roof
The typical shingle roof lasts around 20 years, depending on damage and natural wear and tear. Other roofing materials last longer, but are more expensive to install.
The amount and level of care you give your roof along the way can reduce or increase the time between roof replacements. If you are good about maintaining your roof, you might end up only having to replace your roof on your home once in your lifetime, just so long as you give it the maintenance it needs.
Roof replacement is expensive no matter the type of roof you have. You’re better off in the long run doing maintenance and small repairs as needed in order to help extend the lifetime of your roof.
If you are not confident in your roofing abilities – or just hate the idea of climbing a tall ladder – you can find a licensed, certified roofer to help you with all of your maintenance and repair needs.
PREVENTATIVE ROOF CARE
Doing projects to prevent most roof damage before it happens is by far the cheapest route to increase the lifetime of your roof. Here are some preventative care measures for your roof:
Cut branches that hang over your roof. Powerful winds and rain storms can break branches and even knock over whole trees. Decaying, dying trees will also drop their heavy branches onto your roof if they are not pruned. Falling limbs ruin all types of roofs, including asphalt shingles and metal roofs.
Install gutter guards. Gutter guards are metal or mesh covers that can be installed over your gutters to reduce clogging. They can reduce the amount of gutter cleaning that you have to do and help prevent overflow into your landscaping. You can install gutter guards yourself or leave the job to a roofer or gutter cleaning company.
Have regular inspections. Shingles start to lose asphalt granules after a few years, and metal roofs will be dented or start to show signs of age such as rust or tarnish. Having inspections done by a roofing company will let you know if there’s a problem that needs to be handled.
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 options so you can feel safe about applying these products on your home, where they will run off and possibly come in contact with your children, pets and landscaping.
Make sure your insulation and ventilation system are in prime condition. Too much or too little insulation can create a condensation problem. Limited ventilation will result in trapped moisture. This can quickly lead to mold and mildew growth, as well as musty odors throughout your house. Besides being a nuisance, mold and mildew will ruin wood and other materials, weakening your home’s structure.
ROUTINE ROOF MAINTENANCE
Every once in a while, you’ll want to complete some general maintenance on your roof. If this is done regularly, you’ll help prevent leaks and increase the lifetime of your roof, regardless of the type.
Do these chores at least once every 12 months to prevent damages and keep your roof looking nice:
Roof cleaning. Cleaning a roof will remove debris, mold and dirt. This will reduce the risk of pests building nests on your roof, and it will instantly freshen up the curb appeal. Boston Pressure Wash Plus offers roof cleaning in Boston as one of our services.
Gutter cleaning. Cleaning out the gutters is a necessary part of home ownership. Check your gutters often, especially if it’s raining, to see if there are clogs that need to be cleared. Most companies recommend gutter cleaning once in the spring and again in the fall.
Remove moss. If moss begins to grow, it probably means that your roof is shaded and stays relatively moist. Moss’s roots can attach to shingles and other materials and ruin them if it isn’t removed fast enough. Most homeowners opt to have a professional do this so no unnecessary damage is done in the process.
MINOR ROOF REPAIRS
Damages will happen, but so long as you tend to them quickly, no serious issues should occur. If you are a capable handyman, you might feel confident enough doing small repairs yourself. But if not, professional roofing companies are able to complete 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. These asphalt chunks help to protect your roof. If they start coming off, the roof will start to look worn, but, most importantly, it won’t protect what’s underneath. Only a small section needs to be re-shingled if the damage is superficial.
Replace fascia. Occasionally, the part of your 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 leak, allowing mold and mildew into your home, plus pests.
Re-caulk around the flashings. Flashings fill in gaps on the roof where it is hard 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 task for roofers and proficient homeowners as well.
YOUR ROOF NEEDS LOVE TOO!
The roof is typically the most expensive home maintenance costs. With the typical lifetime of a roof being between 20 and 30 years, you will likely only have to replace it once or twice. Of course, if you move several times, you might end up buying a lot of roofs in your lifetime.
When purchasing a new house, a roof inspection is definitely worth your money. You can also include the price of a new roof – if necessary – in the closing costs or request that the seller has the roof replaced prior to the sale. When selling a house, give Boston Pressure Wash Plus a call for professional roof cleaning in Boston to improve curb appeal for potential buyers.