With regards to roofing, you probably could stand to learn a thing or two. But, if you own a home, it pays to gain some knowledge now. A damaged roof can result in major irreparable damage to your home. This article will give you some good advice on the topic of roofing.
Ensure you thoroughly inspect your roof at least yearly. Roofs tend to suffer the most damage in the spring and winter. Because of this, you must pay special attention during these months.
If your roof leaks, wait for it to dry before you find out where exactly it is and try to fix it. You could compromise your safety on a wet and slippery roof. Once the roof dries, you’ll be able to fix the problem.
Leaks often come from shingles, but don’t discount a foundation problem as well. Water can leak into your home through dry-rotted siding. Look to every area that could be an entry point,including any area with rotted wood, so that you can fix the problem for good.
Don’t go up on your roof in inclement weather. When the roof is wet or slippery, you could end up falling, causing major injury and even death. If you want to handle roofing projects on your own, make sure to do the work when the weather is dry.
You need to ask many questions prior to engaging a professional roofing contractor. How many nails do they use per shingle? Three nails or less is generally considered inadequate. Ask them about the methods they use, and see if they give a good answer. If the answers are poor, move on asap.
If a roofing salesman is giving you a high pressure pitch, tell him no thank you and show him out of your home. Once the salesman locks you into a contract, you and your home are at their mercy. This makes it essential to prevent being pressured into an agreement.
If you’ve already tried to get someone to come out to fix your roof but they won’t be there for a while, then you should do what you can to fix the leak temporarily. Buy some heavy plastic and use nails to keep it attached to the area. This isn’t the best way to manage leaks, but it can help you out in a pinch.
Try not to use any short-term fixes on your roof. It may be cheaper for now, but it will get more expensive in the future. The smartest thing to do is to completely fix the problem as quickly as possible to prevent things from getting worse.
The age of your roof is a good indication as to whether it should be replaced. A lot of roofs will only last about twenty years before needing to be replaced. If the roof you have now covered the old roof, you are going to have to get a new one after 20 years.
Ask your roofing contractor if they offer a warranty on their work. You’ll find that some contractors offer much better warranties than others. Make sure you get any warranty in writing (and the estimate too). You’ll need that if the time arises where there is an issue. This way, you won’t have any term disagreements when the job is finished.
If you cannot find out where your roof leak is coming from, do not despair. Have another person inside the home and carefully use a hose to find the location of the leak. If your house is large, talk on cell phones in order to prevent unnecessary deluges of water during testing.
If you’re wondering if your roof is leaking, try spraying it with a garden hose. This will show if you have a leak and the area where the leak emanates from. That’s cheaper than hiring help.
Any roofing contractor you hire needs to have proper licensing and insurance. If they won’t, do not think about hiring them. You won’t have any recourse available when they do a bad job which ends up costing you a lot of money to fix.
Don’t pay for a roof fully before there has been some work done. It’s not a sign of good faith for a company to want all the money up front. In fact many scam artists follow this technique and then never do any work. Because of this, you should only pay a small percentage upfront. Only pay the rest when the contractor has completed the work.
Ask a ton of questions when hiring a roofer. This will allow you to get the full scope of the job. If you can’t get a roofer to reply to your questions, avoid him.
The roof boots of a home are often neglected. These boots are made of rubber and they are near where the fence of the roof comes up. They have been known to dry out after a while. When they do, you are very susceptible to leaks so be sure to check on them and replace if necessary.
If a contract isn’t in writing, then you shouldn’t agree to it. Verbal contracts can lead to trouble if the work agreed on is not completed properly. A hard contract allows you to seek recourse in the event that the other party does not perform to standards.
Before selecting a roofer, you should learn a little about the topic. Learn all that you can about roofing rules, types, and more before you speak with a contractor. Not only will it make the discussion smoother, it can protect you from unscrupulous contractors eager to take advantage of your lack of knowledge.
As you can see by now, you probably did not know as much as you thought you did about roofing. Now that you’ve read this article, you should feel confident that you will be able to handle any roofing problems that may arise. Your home and family can only be properly protected if your roof is in good shape.