Tips to Maintain Your Roof
The average shingle roof lasts around 20-25 years, more or less depending on damage and natural wear and tear. Other roofing materials will last longer, but are more expensive to install.
The extent and quality of care you give your roof can shorten or extend the time between roof replacements. If you play your cards right, you could end up only having to install a new roof on your home once in your lifetime, just as long as you give it the maintenance it needs.
Roof replacement is very expensive no matter the type of roof you have. You’re much better off doing maintenance and small repairs as needed to lengthen the lifetime of your home’s roof.
If you are not confident in your roofing skills – or just don’t like the idea of climbing a ladder – you can call a licensed, certified roofer in Nashville to give you a hand with all of your maintenance and repair projects.
PREVENTATIVE ROOF CARE
Doing tasks to prevent most roof damage before it happens is by far the cheapest way to extend the lifetime of your home’s roof. Here are a few preventative care measures for your home’s roof:
Cut tree limbs hanging over your roof. Gusting winds and rain storms can break tree limbs and even knock over whole trees. Decaying, dying trees can also drop their heavy branches onto your roof if they’re not regularly pruned. Falling limbs destroy all types of roofs, including asphalt shingles and even metal roofs.
Install rain gutter guards. Gutter guards are metal or mesh covers that can be installed over your rain gutters to reduce clogging. They can reduce the amount of gutter cleaning you need to do and prevent rain flowing into your yard. You can install gutter guards on your own or leave the job to a roofer or gutter cleaning company in Nashville.
Have regular inspections. Shingles begin to lose asphalt granules after only a few years, and metal roofs can get dented or begin to show signs of aging such as rust or tarnish. Having regular inspections done by a company can let you know if there’s an issue that should 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 spraying these coatings on your home, where they will run off and possibly be in contact with your children, pets and landscaping.
Make sure your insulation and ventilation systems are in good condition. Too much or too little insulation can create a condensation issue. Lack of ventilation can result in trapped moisture. This can quickly lead to mold and mildew growth, as well as odors in your home. Besides being annoying, mold and mildew will wreak havoc on wood and other home materials, damaging your home’s structure.
ROUTINE ROOF MAINTENANCE
From time to time, you’ll want to do some general maintenance on your home’s roof. If this is done often enough, you’ll prevent leaks and extend the lifetime of your roof, regardless of the type.
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 reduce the risk of pests building nests on your home’s roof, and it will immediately renew the appearance of your home. Nashville Pressure Wash Plus offers roof cleaning in Nashville as one of our services.
Gutter cleaning. Cleaning out the gutters is a necessary part of home ownership. Check your rain gutters often, 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 starts growing, it likely means that your roof is shaded and stays relatively moist. Moss’s roots attach to shingles and other materials and damage them if it isn’t eliminated quickly. Most homeowners opt to have a professional do this so no damage is done in the process.
MINOR ROOF REPAIRS
Damages happen, but as long as you take care of them quickly, no major issues should occur. If you are a handyman, you may feel confident enough doing small repairs yourself. But if not, professional roofers in Nashville are trained to tackle these fast fixes for you to keep your roof in optimal condition.
Replace damaged or worn shingles. Shingles have asphalt pieces attached to them. The texture can be knocked off the shingles by debris, hail or heavy rain. These asphalt chunks help to protect your home’s 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 section needs to be re-shingled if the damage is only superficial.
Replace fascia. Sometimes, the part of your home’s 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, and sometimes pests.
Re-caulk around the flashings. Flashings fill in the gaps on the roof where it is hard to place roofing material. It’s the perfect location for leaks on a roof, and it is very easily damaged. If more extensive work is required, replacing the flashing is an easy project for professionals 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 probably only need to replace it one or two times. Of course, if you move several times, you could end up replacing a lot of roofs during your lifetime.
When purchasing a new home, a roof inspection is definitely worth your money. You can also include the cost of a new roof – if one is needed – in the closing costs or ask that the home seller has the roof replaced prior to the sale. When selling a home, give Nashville Pressure Wash Plus a call for professional roof cleaning in Nashville to improve curb appeal for interested buyers.