Spring Maintenance Check #1 Your Roof

"Maintenance Free!"  

We have all heard the claims of maintenace free options for our cars, insurance plans and our homes. Reality check here.  Very few things truely are maintenance free, because things happen;  storms, changes to the interior, changes to the environement, changes to how we use things, changes to the things we need.  Your home is no exception to this.  And certainly not your roof!  In fact preventative maintenance is more cost effective than dealing with a crisis.   Crisis management requires scrambling to find the time and often big money to handle all the consequences of waiting.  Preventative maintenance can avoid repairs and even extend many components. 

Planning for a regular check for the state of repair allows for you to monitor certain conditions and components.

The Best time for you to check your roof is RIGHT NOW!! 

Preforming regular checks on your roof will allow you to know exactly what your needs are, and will provide you with advance warning to get several rrofing quotes.  This will allow you to make an educated, and cost effective purchase of new roofing if its warrented.  If on the other hand, no maintence or checks have been done, there is very little time to do compartitive shopping. You will be forces to go with the roofer that is available on thier time schedule - not necessarily the best roofer at the best possible price. 

So where do you start?  Maybe maintenance isn't your cup of tea or getting up on the roof to do the check isn't your idea of a good way to spend a couple hours.   What are you looking for and who can help you?  An easy start would be the use of some binoculars.  You can start an inspection from the ground!  

What to look for in asphalt or wood shingles: missing shingles, cracked or damaged shingles, excessive wear at the riges, check previously patched areas, check flashings to make sure they are secure, and then check spots where the roof is penetrated by things like skylights, chimneys, plumming stacks etc. 

What if you have a flat roof? Maintenance remains an important issue!  

If you find you need a new roof: summer is the best time to et the work done at the best price!