Tips to Maintain Your Roof
The standard shingle roof lasts 20-25 years, more or less depending on storm damage and wear and tear. Other types of roofing materials last longer, but they are more expensive to install.
The amount and level of care you give your roof can reduce or lengthen the time between roof replacements. If you are good about caring for your roof, you might 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 requires.
Roof replacement is very expensive no matter the type of roof you have. You’re much better off doing routine maintenance and small repairs as they arise to help extend the lifetime of your home’s roof.
If you are not confident in your roofing abilities – or just don’t like the idea of climbing up a ladder – you can always find a licensed, certified roofer in Baytown 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 occurs is by far the cheapest way to increase the lifetime of your home’s roof. Here are a couple of preventative care tips for your home’s roof:
Cut branches hanging over your roof. Gusting winds and rain storms can break branches and even push over trees. Decaying, dying trees can also drop their branches right onto your roof if they are not pruned. Falling limbs ruin all types of roofs, including asphalt shingles and metal roofs.
Install gutter guards. Gutter guards are metal or mesh covers installed on top of your gutters to reduce clogging. They can limit the amount of gutter cleaning you need to do and help prevent rain flowing into your yard. You can install gutter guards on your own or leave the work to a roofer or gutter cleaning company in Baytown.
Schedule regular inspections. Shingles start to lose asphalt granules after a few years, and metal roofs can get dented or start 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 should be resolved.
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 applying these coatings on your home, where they will run off and be in contact with your children, pets and landscaping.
Ensure your insulation and ventilation system are in good condition. Too much or not enough insulation can create a condensation problem. Limited ventilation can result in trapped moisture. This can quickly result in mold and mildew growth, as well as odors throughout your house. Besides being annoying, mold and mildew will eat away at 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 in a timely manner, you’ll help prevent leaks and increase the lifetime of your roof, regardless of the type.
Do these things at least once every 12 months to prevent damages and keep your home’s roof looking good:
Roof cleaning. Cleaning a roof removes debris, mold and dirt. This will limit the risk of pests building nests on your home’s roof, and it will freshen up the curb appeal. Xtreme Baytown Pressure Washing offers roof cleaning in Baytown as one of our services.
Gutter cleaning. Cleaning out the gutters is a necessary part of home ownership. Check your gutters regularly, especially while it’s raining, to observe if there are any clogs that need to be removed. Most pros recommend gutter cleaning once in the spring and again in the fall.
Remove moss. If moss begins to grow, it probably means that your roof is too shaded and stays relatively moist. Moss’s roots will attach to shingles and other types of materials and damage them if it isn’t removed fast enough. Many homeowners opt to have a professional do this so no damage is done in the process.
MINOR ROOF REPAIRS
Damages will happen, but as long as you tend to them right away, no major problems should result. If you are a capable handyman, you might feel confident doing small repairs yourself. But if not, professional roofing companies in Baytown are more than willing to tackle these fast fixes for you to keep your roof in optimal condition.
Replace damaged or worn shingles. Shingles have asphalt bits attached to them. The texture can be knocked off the shingles by debris, hail or heavy rain storms. These asphalt chunks help to protect your home’s roof. If they start to come off, the roof will start to 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 section 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, letting mold and mildew into your home, let alone 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 needed, replacing the flashing is a simple task for professionals 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 probably only need to install a new one one or two times. Of course, if you move frequently, you might end up buying a lot of roofs during your lifetime.
When buying a new house, a roof inspection is definitely worth your money. You can also include the price of a new roof – if one is needed – in the closing costs or ask that the home seller have the roof replaced before the sale. When trying to sell a house, give Xtreme Baytown Pressure Washing a call for professional roof cleaning in Baytown to improve curb appeal for interested buyers.