Tips to Maintain Your Roof
The typical shingle roof will last 20 years, depending on damage and usual wear and tear. Other types of roofing materials will last longer, but are also more expensive to install.
The extent and quality of care you give your roof along the way can reduce or lengthen the time between new roof replacements. If you are lucky, you could end up only having to replace your roof on your home once in your lifetime, so long as you give it the attention it requires.
Roof replacement is expensive no matter the type of roof. You’re a lot better off in the long run doing maintenance and minor repairs as they arise to help extend the lifetime of your home’s roof.
If you aren’t confident in your roofing skills – or just hate the idea of climbing up a ladder – you can always call a licensed, certified roofer in Sarasota to give you a hand with all of your maintenance and roof repair projects.
PREVENTATIVE ROOF CARE
Doing tasks to prevent most roof damage before it happens is the most affordable route to extend the lifetime of your home’s roof. Here are a few preventative care tips for your home’s roof:
Cut branches that hang over your roof. Strong winds and rain can break branches and even knock over trees. Rotting, dying trees can also drop their branches onto your roof if they’re not pruned. Falling limbs damage 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 that you need to do and help prevent overflow into your landscaping. You can install gutter guards on your own or leave the job to a roofer or gutter cleaning service in Sarasota.
Schedule regular inspections. Shingles begin to lose asphalt granules after a few years, and metal roofs can get dented or begin to show signs of aging like rust or tarnish. Having regular inspections done by a roofing pro can let you know if there’s a problem that needs to be taken care of.
Apply a roof coating. Roof coatings replenish the oils from roof shingles so they don’t dry out, making your roof last 5 years or more beyond its expected lifetime. There are regular and plant-based options so you can feel safe about applying these coatings on your home, where they will inevitably run off and possibly come in contact with your children, pets and lawn.
Ensure your insulation and ventilation system are in good condition. Too much or not enough insulation can create a condensation issue. Lack of ventilation can result in trapped moisture. This can quickly result in mold and mildew growth, as well as odors in your home. Besides being annoying, mold and mildew will ruin wood and other home materials, damaging your home’s structure.
ROUTINE ROOF MAINTENANCE
Every once in a while, you’ll need to do some general maintenance on your home’s roof. If this is done often enough, you’ll help prevent leaks and extend the lifetime of your roof, regardless of the materials it’s made of.
Do these chores at least once every 12 months to prevent damages and keep your home’s roof looking nice:
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 renew the curb appeal. Sarasota Pressure Washing offers roof cleaning in Sarasota as one of our services.
Gutter cleaning. Cleaning out gutters is a necessary part of home ownership. Inspect your rain gutters often, especially while it’s raining, to see if there are clogs that should be removed. Most pros recommend gutter cleaning once in the spring and again in the fall season.
Remove moss. If moss starts growing, it likely means that your roof is too shaded and stays very moist. Moss’s roots can attach to roof shingles and other types of materials and ruin them if it isn’t gotten rid of quickly. Most homeowners decide to have a professional do this so no unnecessary damage is done in the process.
MINOR ROOF REPAIRS
Damages will happen, but so long as you take care of them right away, no serious issues should occur. If you are a handyman, you may feel confident enough doing minor roof repairs yourself. But if not, professional roofing companies in Sarasota are trained to complete 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 removed from the shingles by debris, hail or heavy rain. These asphalt chunks help to protect your home’s roof. If they start to come off, the roof will look worn, but, more importantly, it won’t protect what’s underneath. Only a small section needs to be re-shingled if the damage is 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 also have to be replaced. The fascia can sometimes leak, allowing mold and mildew into your home, plus pests.
Re-caulk around the flashings. Flashings fill in gaps on the roof where it is difficult to place roofing material. It’s the perfect location for leaks, and it is easily damaged. If more complicated work is needed, replacing the flashing is also an easy project for roofers and proficient homeowners as well.
YOUR ROOF NEEDS LOVE TOO!
The roof is one of the most expensive home maintenance costs. With the typical lifetime of a roof being around 20 and 30 years, you will likely only need to install a new one one or two times. Of course, if you move several times, you could end up buying a lot of roofs in your lifetime.
When buying a new home, a roof inspection is definitely worth your time. You can also include the cost of a new roof – if necessary – in the closing costs or request that the home seller have the roof replaced before the sale. When selling a home, give Sarasota Pressure Washing a call for professional roof cleaning in Sarasota to improve curb appeal for potential buyers.