A roof maintenance schedule can reduce the amount of money you are forced to invest in your home over the years. It’s not something that many homeowners think about though. To get ahead of one of the biggest expenses that come with homeownership in Anderson, take care of these roofing basics.
Roof Maintenance Basics
Many people can take care of basic home needs without the help of a contractor. You can do many of these basic maintenance tasks needed for your residential roof. On a regular basis, you should keep an eye out for any obvious damage. If you see light glaring off your roof, dark streaks or birds nests in your gutters then act immediately.
On a quarterly basis, you should climb up and clean out your gutters properly. Regardless of whether it’s spring, fall, winter, or summer, you can guarantee that there’s some debris blowing around in the air. Birds will nest in your gutters, and ice can pull them away from your fascia.
Gutter cleaning is one of the best preventative measures you can take to protect your roof through the years.
Semi-Annual Maintenance
Every six months you should walk the surrounding region of your home and look for any overgrown trees. Trees growing too close to your home bring the risk of falling limbs. If you notice anything that seems to hang over your roof, call out your local arborist.
Another six-month maintenance check is cleaning. Anyone living in a generally humid region should watch out for mold. Black streaks are the sign that you have mold, mildew, or fungus growing on your roof.
These black streaks are the formal invitation for many insects, including termites. Having semi-annual roof cleaning, with a chemical wash can help keep out pests. Maintenance such as chemical washing can prevent tens of thousands of dollars in damage.
Annual Maintenance
Formal inspection and shingle replacement are on the annual maintenance checklist. Most homeowners don’t realize that they’re missing shingles until they have a leak in their homes. You can get ahead of problems like that.
Schedule an inspection before the raining season and ask your inspector to take note of any missing shingles. A formal inspection will not only let you know if you have new damage, but it can let you schedule repairs at convenient times.
Formal inspections can help you take note of future repairs to make. You can do a general inspection on your own if you are comfortable climbing up onto your roof.
If you are inspecting your own roof, take care to look for these aspects:
- Missing shingles
- Curled shingles
- Cracked shingles
- Missing paint across your fascia
- Evidence of insect or bird presence in soffits
- Loose Gravel
- Cracked gutters
- Dislocated gutter joists
These aspects can all lead to repairs but addressing any of these repairs when damage first presents itself can save you tons of money.
What If I Have A Warranty
Home warranties don’t often cover roof repairs, as roofing problems often fall to homeowners insurance claims. So what do you do when you need a minor repair? What about preventative measures? It’s likely that even if you have a home warranty, and a home insurance policy your roofing repairs aren’t covered.
If you put in your roof, or your home is new construction, it’s likely you have a different warranty. A roof warranty should cover your home for a number of years, some go for as long as 40 years.
Often roof warranties aren’t valid if the homeowner doesn’t maintain the roof. That means if you forget your inspection or chemical wash for even a year, you lose your warranty privileges. Voiding specific warranty terms can leave you with tens of thousands of dollars to pay out of pocket.
Required Reports
Many warranties require a formal report to serve as proof that you underwent the necessary inspections. A contract for materials warranty, roof warranty, manufacturer warranty, and contractor warranty all typically require the same reports.
Most reports require:
- Annual roof survey
- Debris removal
- Debris cleaning
- Gutter inspection and repair
- Small repairs report
Always ask a contractor for proof of their services, including a formal report. These formal report can make all the difference between your home warranty, insurance or a separate warranty covering necessary repairs.
In some cases, a contractor will prefer to come out for a yearly inspection on a roof they installed to ensure that it holds up through the time they initially quoted.
Contact a Professional at Anderson Metal Roofing & Shingles
Anderson Metal Roofing & Shingles helps homeowners throughout Anderson, SC with preparing roofing maintenance schedule plans. From annual inspections, fascia inspection, and more, our upstate roofing contractors can help you map out your roofing services.
Contact Anderson Metal Roofing & Shingles with any of your concerns for immediate help.
