Despite taking the best care for the roof of your home, a time will come when the roof shows signs of some damage, and you must think about restoring the roof.
Since the roof remains exposed to the elements of weather, it undergoes normal wear and tear that shows up with time. In addition, poor maintenance could only damage roofs quickly. While roof restoration should take care of the problems, there might be another consideration about roof replacement depending on the extent of damage and its impact on the building. Usually, restoring the roof should add fresh life to it and give you almost a new roof but decide which would be better restoration or replacement, you need the guidance of professional roofing experts like those belonging to Alignment Roofing Contractors Naples FL. They can assess the damage and suggest the options of repair and the best action.
Restore or replace?
The decision to restore the roof or replace it depends on some other factors too. In case of the tiled roof, often replacement is a better choice over restoration. But this depends on the manner of usage of the home too. How long you want to stay in the home determines whether you should invest heavily in roof replacement because roof replacement is quite expensive, perhaps the most valuable investment in the building. Replacing a roof means you enjoy the benefits of warranty that comes with it and can upgrade the roof materials like replacing the existing roofing material with some type of terracotta roofing tiles that come with a 50-year warranty, which completely justifies the investment.
Some home renovators have some short-term goals for roof upgrade and prefer restoration. Roof restoration is ideal for a quick makeover of the building that is cost-effective too. But, the improvements would last much less than roof replacement that gives you a new roof. Restoration warranties are also available but for just 5-8 years depending on the type of damages and the kind of repairs done. In many cases, restoration can be good enough to make the roof last its entire life. However, foraging and dilapidated roofs, restoration does not work, and replacement is the only option.
Seek professional guidance
It is always a sensible approach to seek professional advice to decide whether restoration or roof replacement would be good for your home. Since you know best how much beating the roof has taken, you can gather some idea about the damages by looking at the signs that tell all. Inspecting the building from both inside and outside and knowing the checkpoints should help you to assess the extent of damage that indicates what kind of repair it needs.
See from inside
The attic or the roof cavity is the best places to have a good view of the roof from inside together with the adjoining areas that are affected by roof damage. If you find some dark spots, it is a sign of water damage, and there might be some trails that relate to leakages. If you can see the light passing through the roof, it is a sign of some serious damage. The extent of damage would tell you if repairing could set things right as it can happen if there are only one or two spots observed. However, if the damage is visible at several places, repairing would be of little use and replacement would be a better option.
Look from the outside
Reach up to the roof by using a ladder and depending on the slope and height you can even try to tread on it carefully to detect damages.
- The areas around the vents, pipes, and chimneys are most susceptible to damage, and you must look for loose or worn out roof materials around these places.
- Wear and tear in roof valleys are common and you must look at it closely.
- For shingles roof, check for damaged, curled or worn out shingles. If shingles granules accumulate in the gutter, it shows that the shingles are wearing out and needs replacement.
- Look for signs of damage in the downpipes and gutters.
Roof age
Restoration and repairs of roof become necessary as its age progresses. Considering that the average roof age is between 20-25 years, as the age crosses the halfway mark, repairing might be necessary, and it could be earlier in case of the poorly maintained roof. With advancing age, be prepared for frequent repairs of the roof. But if you restore the roof once instead of attending to individual damages, it can be quite cost-effective. Once the roof nears the end of its life, replacing it is the only option.
Sagging Roof
If you observe that the roof is sagging, you should treat it as major damage and consult roof experts about the future course of action. Usually, sagging is a sign that the roof needs replacement but to take a final conduct a thorough inspection by roof experts. Sagging exposes the structural weakness for which replacement is the best option.
Corrosion
If you detect signs of corrosion around metal fasteners and fittings, it is a result of water collecting at those places. Look at the places across the roof, especially gutters where metals are in use because the chances of corrosion are high. Besides detecting corrosion, you must evaluate its type and extent. See if there is paint flaking around the corroded area or is there timber rotting or any other signs of corrosion. Try out to stem the rot by replacing fasteners and metal parts or roof, but if the problem persists, it is better to know from experts what would the appropriate repair.
Replace tiles
For damages to the tiled roof, replacing the damaged tiles should work well provided there is a good amount of roof life still left. Tiled roofs rarely need complete replacement even though restoration might be necessary. Water leakage is the most prevalent problem with a tiled roof that you can address well by replacing damaged tiles.
Besides inspecting the roof every six months, arrange for a professional inspection at least after every to years to ensure good roof health.
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