When owning a home, roof maintenance and replacement can seem like quite the daunting task. While it serves as a beacon of security and shelter over our heads, we often tend to neglect taking care of it due to the costly and time-consuming nature of the process. Roof maintenance is often pushed under the rug because people wrongfully believe that roof construction is a one-and-done deal. Still, maintenance should take just as much, if not more priority, as other systems around the house. Waiting to replace your roof can lead to a surplus of problems for your home, both structurally and financially. You should get your roof examined often and repaired if needed as soon as possible.
1. Prolonging roof replacement will just lead to more damage than has already been accumulated.
Weather, debris, and other natural elements take a significant toll on your roof, as it is essentially a shield for the interior of your home. These forces become far too powerful for your roof as they begin to wear it down layer by layer, causing it to grow increasingly more vulnerable. Roof replacement is already a necessity as a homeowner, but regularly monitoring maintenance of your roof will provide you with the opportunity to identify problems before they become severe. Think about a crack in your windshield. What starts as a small dent in the glass, culminates into a disastrous mess when the whole sheet eventually collapses into a million shards of glass, creating an even bigger, more dangerous issue. This same mentality applies to your roof.
2. Catering to your roof’s needs and well-being will actually save you money.
In hindsight, at least. One of the primary reasons you aren’t taking care of your roof as diligently as you should is likely due to costs. However, taking precautionary measures for roof maintenance will eradicate the need to spend MORE on costly damage from postponing. It is possible that your insurance costs can increase if you wait on necessary repairs long enough because coverage will not include negligence. If you plan on selling your home, keeping track of your roof will significantly improve your property value. In addition, roof maintenance can provide sustainable options to reduce your energy costs. Little nooks and crannies can develop in your roof if the materials are not replaced. This will allow air to escape and lead you to raise your air conditioning in the summer and heater in the winter months.
3. Being too lackadaisical with your roof might invite some unwanted guests into your home.
The cracks and crevices potentially forming in your roof provide an ideal passageway for bugs and small animals to enter from the outside. Not only could these pests cause medical problems for you and your family, such as disease and discomfort, but they could also cause severe damage to the interior systems of your home. Another unwanted guest could be water; water damage can creep up on you as a result of broken or split roofing tiles and shingles. What starts as a mild drip can escalate into a full-blown collapse from excess. Still, regardless, you run the risk of developing mold. Mold is extremely costly and time-consuming to treat, and it is hazardous to your health.
If you are not sure whether you should be replacing your roof, here are some things you can add to a checklist:
- Look for any trace of moisture in your home by checking ceilings and floors for dark spots.
- If your home has endured a natural disaster recently, especially with a significant quantity of rain, such as a hurricane, tornado, or tropical storm, please schedule a check-up consultation to ensure that everything is still intact.
- When it comes to the number of years that each roof can exist before requiring replacement, the answer is subjective. Factors such as who built the roof, roof materials, and the environmental conditions surrounding the roof all play a role. Still, if your roof is approaching its second decade, it might be time to replace it.
These are just a handful of the countless reasons why you should invest in caring for your roof. Understanding the principles of a roof itself is crucial when owning a home, mainly because it is the overarching shield of protection for the rest of it. TSpark Enterprises has offered reliable residential and commercial roofing services since 2005, and can provide everything from roof replacements, maintenance, and repairs, to asphalt shingles and leak diagnoses. For more information or to request a quote, contact us via our website or call (850) 766-1340 today to ensure a safer, more secure tomorrow.