Just like people whose health is important the health of a dwelling place is equally important. If the house is cleaned and sanitized, then the inside environment is kept healthy, and the inhabitants of the house are also happy and healthy. The house is an important place where all our loved ones reside. So it is important to maintain it properly at regular intervals. The roof is the essential structure of the house and homeowners have to maintain it properly.
But in most cases, it gets the least amount of notice until and unless some problems crop up. Cleaning roofs adequately are also quite tricky compared to the other parts of the house. Sometimes it might be dangerous to get up on the roof and do cleaning all alone because if a person trips then he/she will be gravely injured. Hence it can be understood that maintaining roofs requires professional expertise so acquiring services for professional maintenance is suitable.
The primary aspect for appropriatepreservation
Prevention is better than cureis the oft-quoted phrase which people have heard since time immemorial. This proverbial saying is right in the case of roofs. Since roofs are not regularly checked, so problems usually linger a long time and then become a big source of disaster. There are services for checking out the condition of the roof. Making an appointment with a suitable service provider is sensible. They will arrive and check the entire roof and the inner ceiling of the house and will give alist of all the problems presentin the roof which might lead to grave issuesin the future. The most common issueswhich are detected by an inspecting person include the following:
- Seepage of water or retention of moisture
Moisture seepage might not be visible for the untrained individuals but cannot escape the professional gaze of personnel who are adept at finding problems in a roof. Water seepage can be due to many reasons. The absorption of water will lead to the formation of mold and mildew. Both of these things are known to be harmful to human health. The inspecting individual will find the spots of water retention and will be able to detect the source from where the leakage is taking place.
- Bending of shingles
Nails attach the singles present on the roof to the structure of the roof. If the nails have become loose, then the force of the wind can bend the layer of shingle. If the layer below the single is exposed, then the roof will start degrading and can eventually develop leaky cracks.
- The wrong construction of the slope or the complete absence of a gradient
For a rooftop to drain out the water from precipitation, it is essential to make the surface of the roof inclined to a certain degree to facilitate drainage. But if the slope is not constructed correctly or the entire roof is entirely planed, then problems will become a part of such roofs due to water accumulation upon precipitation.
- The blockage of the drainage pipes
Thereare pipes which are responsible for carrying the water from the roof down and then direct the flow away from the house. If these pipes get blocked due to pieces of broken shingles or some other form of debris, then the water won’t be drained, and the accumulation will weaken the roof.
- The improper construction of valleys
The pipes that are supposed to carry the rooftop water and drain it away from the house also depends on the inclined placement of the pipes which is commonly known as valleys. If these valleys are not appropriately placed or are jammed, then water will stand, and the same problem of moisture and mold will occur.
- Pipes that are not adequately sealed for keeping away moisture
The ventilation system of the house has pipes installed below the roof. These pipes are supposed to be sealed. But if the sealing is damaged, then the water can invade this system through the pipes which will lead to the accumulation of moisture in the inner part of the building’s ceiling.
- The corrosion of the metal structures that are holding the roof together
Metalrods are often used for fortifying the roof of the house. But if these metals become rusty, then the wholestructure starts to become loose. The leading cause of rust is water. Hence it canbe said that the metalshave come in contact with water which has to lead to the formation of rust and the weakening of the structure.
All the problems mentioned above might not show any signs in the initialstages and cannot be understood by a homeowner until it is too late. However, if a competent authority conducts inspections on a yearly or half-yearly basis, then all these problems can be solved before these start to aggravate. Evenif no problems are visible, still it is better to consult a service provider like Residential Roofers Salt Lake Cityfor inspecting because it is a precaution and can be a preventative measure in case roof damages. It is good to have the roof checked to post the snowing season or heavymonsoons so that the health of the roof gets examined after the impact of precipitation. However, you can get the inspection done at any point in time in the year when the homeowner feels the need for it.
The difference between repair work and replacement methods while renovating rooftops
Repair work is generally needed when a part of the roof gets damaged to weather impact or long bouts of no maintenance period. If roofs are not checked appropriately, then parts of the roof might become broken, and a thousand problems can ensue from that apparently small break. Repairing anything before the damage becomes widespread is always wise. Hence repair work ought to be done promptly and by professional people.
In a general manner, two categories of repair work exist depending on the extent of the damage. These are included below:
- Repair for extensive damage: When the roof has damages in many areas, and the repairing is spread across various parts then the reconstruction of the damaged parts is quiteextensiveand might include the flashing, valleys and slope gradient of the roof.
- Repair with regard to minor damages: When the shingles are bent and a long duration of time has not elapsed after the damage then comparatively less water has seeped and destroyed the underlayment. Minor breaks and cracks all fall under the category of minor repairs. These repairs can include the changing of the broken single with a new one. Thesmaller the issue, the easier it is to resolve it, and so people should not let these apparently trivial problems stay because these will become bigger exponentially with the passage of time.
Hence repair deals with the reconstruction of some or more parts of the roof and the correction of problems which have been caused by the damage from the roof.
The case of replacement is a bit different. In replacement, the entire old roof is taken down, and an entirely new roof is put on the top of the house. This is done for a variety of reason these are enlisted below:
- The deplorable condition of the present roof
The cost of transforming the whole roof through repair might not always be a viable solution and instead of spending a few more bucks for replacing the entire ceiling is better. The condition of the roof is a significant determinant in case of roof replacements. When the repair won’t fix the issues, and the roof gets destroyed in numerous places, then replacement is the best option even if it is costly.
- Renovating the whole house
People usually renovate their home after a considerable number of years. In the renovation, the house gets an upgrade, and modern amenities are installed for making the house more comfortable. In such cases, it is good to refurbish the roof of the house by seeking a suitably styled replacement roof that will fit the newer look of the home.
- Good form of investment
If a roof is installed by replacing the older roof, then the worth of the house in the field of real estate increases substantially because a new roof means a huge form of refurbishment for the entire home. It will raise the overall price of the house. But if selling is not the plan then also the hefty investment in roof replacement is an excellent choice as it will reinforce the protective cover of the house.
Hence, the roof of the house should be well cared for. An appropriate inspection will lead to speedy repair work and replacements can be suitably made for completely renovating the house. The final choice depends upon the dwellersof the house but taking care of the roof shouldnever be neglected in any instance because this will inadvertently impact the wholestructure of the house.
Author Bio:
Karen Anthony is a creative Home Decor Expert. She loves to share her creative knowledge of Home Improvement with her clients & friends. She is passionate about trending skills for Home Improvement.