Things To Consider When Deciding If You Need A New Roof
How often do you actually look at your roof? Most of you you run in and out of the house off to work and back again, taking and bringing home the kids, and glance up at your roof when the weather looks dodgy or have seen some sort of rare bird on your chimney!
Taking the time to inspect your roof and keep it in good working order is one of the most important jobs for the home owner. Making your roof watertight by fixing leaks before they happen will keep your roof in good condition and keep the inside of your home, and you dry!
You should really inspect your roof at least twice a year, in Autumn and in spring. Checking your roof after any bad storms or freak weather is highly recommended. If it isn’t something you are confident doing then employ the services of a local roofer.
Eventually there will come a time when no matter how much maintenance or repairs you do to your roof it will be more cost effective in the long run to replace the roof completely. If this sounds expensive then try to consider the amount of money you would spend in repairs or damages caused by leaking roofs. How much have you had to spend to keep your home watertight in previous years? Another consideration is that if you sell your home a new roof will almost certainly add value, and sale-ability to your house.
Many roofs on homes built here in the UK after the war will now be reaching the end of their lives. Covering materials used in the construction of roofs will last many more years but things such as nails, lead work, mortar will fail before the actual main roof covering. So just because your roof looks nice and tidy from the outside don’t just assume everything is fine underneath.
Winter is approaching again and if one thing is certain it is that we will not be able to guarantee the weather as much as we can guarantee how much a new roof will keep us dry and warm through our extreme conditions here in the UK. It is this time of year when many roof problems occur and you may find yourself needing a new roof
Here are some things to look out for when deciding if you need new roof:
[listdot]- Are there pieces of mortar falling or missing from the roof? This is a sign that the cement is failing in places like the chimney and underneath ridge tiles. The mortar is there to fix the tiles to the roof and keep water out.
- Clay tiles and slates are subject to frost and eventual spalling or cracking. The tiles literally crumble away. If there is a more than reasonable amount to replace it may wise to replace the whole roof as the tiles would have come from the same batch and more are likely to fail in the future.
- Are there missing tiles or slates? Missing slates or broken tiles are a common problem and easily fixed. If there are big areas of slipped tiles/slates then this pints to a problem with the fixing nails of laths underneath. It is important to check after storms or high winds.
- A sagging roof is usually caused by poorly supported roof timbers or even split timbers. Sometimes it is necessary to remove all the roof covering to be able to replace or repair the timbers. If the problem is not rectified a sagging roof can eventually lead to collapse.
- Lead flashings around chimney stacks will deteriorate over time. If you can see daylight around the chimney breast then this is a sign that the flashings have failed.
Of course, any one of the above points can be rectified on it’s own but if you have more than one of those problems it may be wise to consider replacing a roof for a new one. Your best option at this stage would be to ask the opinion of some local roofers. You should always get 2 or 3 quotations and recommendations if you have not previously used a roofer.
A new roof will not only give you more protection from the elements but also add value to your home.
