Be Sure to Follow These Tips with a Roof Leak in Grand Rapids Michigan

While we’d like to have everything we purchase for our homes last forever, all good things must come to an end including your roof. Homeowners get a roof installed on top of their houses and then try not to think about them. Sadly, however, getting a new roof in Grand Rapids Michigan doesn’t mean your home will always be protected. It can protect it for many years to come, however. Proper care and maintenance for your home’s new roof can ensure it will last a long time. Many of the roofing materials that are sold today have longer warranties and are designed to protect your home for decades. Whereas, older materials the lifespan was about 15 years on average. Before you commit to a new roof installation from a roofing contractor be sure to read over the following tips.

Be Sure to Follow These Tips with a Roof Leak in Grand Rapids Michigan

Before signing up for a new roof installation on your Grand Rapids Michigan home it’s always best to determine if you really need a new roof installed. Pushy contractors and salespeople can sometimes promote roof replacement when you don’t actually need it. The best way to determine if you need a new roof installed or not is to have a full roof inspection on your home. The roofing contractor will examine the roofing on the home and inform you of any problems or if the roof needs to be replaced. Here are some tips that can help with your roofing project as well including some details about pricing. And if you need an estimate on new roof installation in Grand Rapids Michigan or a roof inspection, Grand Rapids Home Pros can help!

The average cost of repairing water damage in the home is between $1200 and $4,500. However, the cost of preventative repair jobs that fix water damage to your roof could cost less than $200. That is why it is in your greater interest to assess your roof for signs of water damage periodically.  

What are the signs?

• Early signs of water damage include cracked, cupping or missing shingles, black spots on your roof, moss, asphalt granules in your gutter, ice dam buildup, damaged flashing and spots on your exterior walls.
• Late signs of water damage include spots or leaks in your ceiling, leaks in your attic, mold in your attic, mold on your ceilings and ponding on top of the roof.

How To Avoid Water Damage To Your Roof

• Gutters are very important to avoid water damage to your roof. Ensure that you have installed gutters and maintain them periodically, especially after periods of heavy rainfall. Try to repair gutters a soon as possible if they are damaged. Also check them for asphalt granules, as this is a sign that your shingles are getting worn.
• You should have damaged or missing shingles replaced soon if not immediately. Shingles are your roof’s first line of defense and the materials under them are prone to rot which leads to expensive repair jobs. A contractor can do small shingle repair jobs in less than a day. Damage incurred underneath shingles can turn into a blank-check-job real quick.
• Repair damage to flashing, seals around roof pipes and seal up any holes left behind by rogue nails and TV antennas. Also check around your skylights and appliances like air-conditioning. Failure to maintain these things gives water an easy way into your living room.
• Assure your attic is properly ventilated. The primary way of doing this is maintaining clean soffits.
• Check your attic for dampness and mold. This isn’t a great sign, but it’s better to catch a leak in your attic before it rots through and makes it down into the rest of the home.

You Can’t Do Better Than Your Best

Sometimes water damage just happens. A week of relentless rain, someone accidentally knocked a shingle off while cleaning your chimney and left the material underneath for the weather to wreak havoc upon or debris kindly built you an unsolicited roof pool while you were away on vacation. For the most part though, fixing the little problems before they become big is the key to avoiding water damage to your roof. If you have any questions about roof maintenance or fixing water damage please contact Grand Rapids Home Pros today.