Roofing and You- Inspecting Your Roof

The roof on any building, whether it is a house, an office, a garage or a shed takes a beating on a regular basis due to being exposed to the elements. A roof must cope with heavy rains, heat, high winds, hail, snow and occasionally the strike from a lightning bolt! For all of these reasons, inspecting your roof on a consistent basis is essential. Think of it as basic roofing maintenance 101.

Professional roofers recommend that all homeowners check the condition of their roofs on an annual or semi-annual basis. To begin this you should take a look at it from a safe location with a pair of binoculars. This will allow you to narrow in on every single area of the roof. Do this front and back. Stand on your front and back lawns and examine the roof from every angle possible. Look for any problem areas. This is not something you should need to call in a roofing expert to do but instead can do yourself. The roof of a residence is very important and you need to get better acquainted with yours!

Your next order of business is to take a ladder and get up on your roof (if it is safe to do so). If you are scared of heights then you may want to find a roofing person who is not. Even if it is not a person who does this for a living, your need to find someone who can do a thorough inspection of the roof without being nervous of falling!

An inspection of a roof involves checking to see if the flashing and shingles are in tip top shape or whether they could use some repairs. The warning signs to look for are rust spot or cracked caulk that appears on the flashing. You also want to look for worn areas or cracks that appear around any of your skylights, chimneys or pipes. It is also important to take a close look at the shape of the shingles. Look for any signs of buckling, blistering or curling.

Take the time to carefully go over the entire roof no matter how big or small it is. You want to catch problems when they are small. Roofing issues should not be taken lightly. After all a roof helps protect everything that is under it.

Any shingles that are missing, loose or are damaged in any way should be replaced as soon as possible. This is not a task that should be left until later, especially if you live in an area that has plenty of harsh weather. Take a look at the condition of the nails in the shingles. Bad weather has the ability to loosen them. If you see any nails that have popped out then hammer them in immediately. If any of the metal flashing that can be found around the attic vents, chimneys or skylights has separated at all it needs to be resealed as quickly as can be with caulking. Make roofing matters a priority to you and you will extend the life of your roof!