Home Series: Don’t Neglect Your Vancouver Roof – Consult with Bruce Coleman, Vancouver Mortgage Broker
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Don’t Neglect Your Vancouver Roof
A roof is one of the areas that many home owners and prospective home buyers often neglect. As a buyer, you might ask some vague questions about it when buying a home, and leave it up to the home inspector to provide you with an assessment. Or, as a homeowner, you might not bother with it too much until it’s too late.
Roofs come in many different building materials and are constantly subject to the wear and tear of the elements. All roofing materials used have a shelf life, but generally this is only for around 10 to 15 years. Even the sturdier metal roofs should not be overlooked and should be regularly inspected.
The roof is the primary cap on your home. Once you start to see or notice a leak or problem, it might be far worse than you think. Water may be seeping behind the drywall and getting absorbed into the insulation which can often happen with a slow leak. The result could be that the insulation could be starting to rot and mould can quietly grow and spread.
Leaks can be a challenge to locate because water can find some weird paths as water simply follows the path of least resistance. You might think your leak is right above you when it fact the actual area of the roof which has been compromised is actually at the opposite end of the structure.
You really should inspect your roof at least once a year. Looking at it from the yard isn’t necessarily going to reveal too much. If you know how to safely set up a ladder and have some idea of what to look for when examining a roof, that would be very helpful in identifying problems before they occur.
One thing you should always do in both spring and fall is to ensure that your gutters are free of leaves and check to see that water will flow down the troughs. This is especially important before winter comes because you don’t want water backing up under the roof and freezing, because this will cause expansion and gradual damage.
Other things to look for when checking the roof include the following:
- Check for missing shingles
- Check for shingles which are curling at the edges, have blisters or cracks or appear excessively weathered such as signs of extreme fading
- Check the attic, if you have one, with a good flashlight and this means the entire crawlspace if handy to look for water stains, mould or a mildew smell
- Check your ceiling and look for signs of water staining
- Check the metal flashing for signs of rust
- Check the shingles for signs of moss or algae
- Check for roof sag and examine all roof ridges
- Check flat areas of the roof and look for water pooling
Should you spot any of these signs then you need to take immediate action because the worst thing you can do is to allow the condition to do nothing. The longer you let it go, the more damage you are going to have in the interior of your home.
Some roofing problems might only require some quality patchwork. If you have the skills then you could do it yourself. If not, then you will need as experienced contractor to perform the repairs or replacement for you.
When hiring a roofer, make sure you have checked them out and don’t settle on using just any roofing contractor that you pick from the yellow pages. Ask for references and make sure you call those references.
