Should You Do Your Own Home Roofing Maintenance, Or Call the Roof Contractor?
When you're looking for one, a roof contractor is not hard to find. The problem is that, since emergency roof repair is rarely necessary, you will need to wait your turn before the roof contractor gets to your job. So it's best to get your name on the list as soon as you can, if you want to try to schedule the roof repair at a convenient time for you.
Many homeowners put off home roofing maintenance. "It'll keep until next year." This attitude is likely to get you into trouble. Little problems may not cause any difficulty at first, but they can get a lot worse over time. A leaking roof can cause further problems, and things can escalate until structural damage occurs. Then your repair bills will be substantial.
One home maintenance repair that you can attempt yourself is to repair a leaking roof. First you need to make sure that you have the necessary safety equipment to go up on the roof. Safety is top priority, so if you're not certain about braving heights, play it safe and call the roof contractor instead!
If you decide to go ahead, look for the hole that's causing the leak. Usually there will be stains left by the water. If not, wait until the next rain, and then go up in the attic to see where the water is coming in. Until you do the repair you can prevent further damage by using the old "string and bucket" trick. Just fasten the string to the lip of the hole, so that water will flow down the string and into the waiting bucket below.
Now you can plan your repair job. If the trouble is caused by a damaged or missing roof tile, that's easy enough to fix, if you can find a replacement of the correct size and type. Repairing roof flashing is also not difficult. Just be sure that your overlaps are in the right direction!
Repairing a flat roof is more difficult, since the leak is usually harder to find. A flat roof is easier to access, but maintenance is more critical. You need to do a thorough cleaning several times a year, to remove collected debris - especially near the gutters and downspouts.
Technorati Tags: Home Roofing Maintenance, Roof Repair People, Emergency Roof Repair, Home Maintenance Repair, Repair a Leaking Roof, Repairing Roof Flashing, Repairing a Flat Roof
COMMENTS: Comments to date: 1 - Page 1 of 1 - Average Rating: 
Robbins Roofing Inc Oklahoma City, OK | 4:21pm on Tuesday, April 19th, 2011 |
Great article. Without proper roofing repair and maintenance you can get yourself in a tricky situation. A good quality roof can last at least 20-30 years with proper upkeep and maintenance. You should ask your neighbors and friends for any suggestio... read more » | |
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