Your roof is one of the most important aspects of your home. It's what keeps you and the inside of your home protected from the elements. Weather of all kinds causes your roof to deteriorate over time. Shingles, underlayment, flashings, drip edges, gutters are very important to the health of your roof. In order to keep your roof over your head, be aware of the three most common issues that may arise and how to address them.
Missing or Damaged Shingles
Wind, weathering, falling debris, and mischievous animals can all be reasons your roof may have cracked, damaged or missing shingles. Replacing the damaged shingles is imperative to keeping your roof in working order. The longer you wait to repair/replace shingles, the easier rain or snow melt can get into the underparts of the roof, resulting in extensive repair costs.
If you are one of the adventurous, not afraid of heights and enjoy DIY projects, you can perform the repairs yourself.
Punctures
Falling tree limbs or flying debris can cause punctures in the roof. Not only can it damage shingles, but the roof structure itself. Big or small, the best way to handle punctures is to cover the area with a tarp until the area can be safely assessed. When the weather allows, you can make temporary repairs until you are able to permanently fix the puncture or have a roofing company do the job for you.
Damaged Flashing
Flashing is a thin layer of waterproof material that you can probably guess, keeps water out of places it is not welcome. If flashing is installed properly, the water will run directly off the roof, not settling in any one spot. Flashing is most often found around chimneys, roof penetrations (such as skylights, vent pipes, dormers), at the end of a tall valley or where the roof meets the wall of an upper story (parapet).
Damaged or corroded flashing can allow water into the roof underlayments causing damage even into attic spaces. Here is a great link on how to repair and maintain roof flashing.
PLEASE, take all safety precautions if you plan on doing the repairs yourself. Review this website for roof safety. Paying someone to do the job can be much less expensive than hospital bills and time lost for recovery.
If you are not one of the daring and prefer terra firma, here are a couple of local roofing companies our clients and Mejaro Inspection Services highly recommended: