While a good foundation certainly makes a home, a solid roof protects the foundation - and everything else - in your home. If there’s a crack in the armor, then your home will be impacted. So while maintaining your roof might seem like a low priority, taking care of it goes a long way to ensuring the long term well-being of your entire home.
Here are some tips and tricks for keeping your roof intact:
1. Give it a Regular Visual Inspection
Two times a year, spring and fall, you should complete a visual inspection of your roof from the ground. Look for lifted or missing shingles, check buckling or missing flashing, and sagging or broken gutters. Patches of moss and algae can indicate you need to update the roof ventilation. You’ll be able to spot a lot of the biggest problems just from doing a cursory look at the roof.
2.Trim the Trees
While trees surrounding your home can frame the property and create shade on sunny days, they can also be a danger to you and your home. One big storm and you might have a branch crashing through your roof. Keep your trees trimmed to prevent a disaster.
3. Ensure Roof is Properly Ventilated
Without proper ventilation, your roof may absorb heat and moisture that will cause it to buckle. Your insulation will also lose its effectiveness. More on insulation below.
4. Clean the Gutters
While this task may feel like the ultimate burden, it could save you a lot of future stress. Leaves and debris collect in the gutters, resulting in build up. Once a big rainstorm comes, the water in your gutters has no place to go. So, where does to go? Into your roof, leaking and causing flooding and water damage. Keeping gutters cleaned will prevent any buildup from happening.
5.Check the Insulation
Insulation is important for protecting a home from heat gain and loss. If leaks aren’t mended, water can seep in and render the insulation ineffective. If you find wet insulation, you may have to tear off parts of the roof in order to replace the damaged insulation. It’s best to get ahead of these things before they become real problems.
Taking care of your roof, in turn, takes care of the whole house. Keep it in good shape and you’ll prevent yourself from having more problems down the road.