6 Common Roofing Mistakes to Avoid
Steele Roofing, a trusted local East Texas Roofing Company out of Tyler, serving all of East Texas, has just about seen it all when it comes to roofing mistakes.
East Texas is known for having occasional wet, windy weather and even tornadoes from time to time.
This kind of weather is hard on roofs.
When your local roofer arrives on location to perform emergency roof tarping, emergency roof repair, commercial roof repair, residential roof repair, a storm damage roof inspection, roof cleaning, roof replacement, or inspect for wind roof damage or hail damage—they never know what they’re going to find. Generally, it’s a lot more than a simple roof leak.
The good news is that roofing mistakes are avoidable!
First, you should call your local roofing company and schedule an appointment for a free roof inspection. This is especially important if you’ve recently purchased a home or haven’t had your roof shingles and roof gutters inspected in a while.
Identifying small problems through a professional inspection can help save money on costly future repairs and replacements.
In the meantime, here is a list of Common Roofing Mistakes to Avoid:
- Hiring an Inexperienced Roofer
While it might seem like a good idea financially to have your handyman neighbor come and fix your roof if you’re having issues…it’s not.
There’s a big difference between an experienced roofing company with the proper insurance, know-how, and business licensing. Your roof is literally the protective covering keeping all that nature has to throw at you out of your home. It’s not something you want to skimp out on when it comes to repairs.
If your chosen roofer doesn’t do a good job, it could cost you a lot in repairs down the line. Or even a whole new roof!
Before hiring someone to fix your roof, make sure you’re doing what’s best for your home in both the long and short term.
- Improper Attic/Upstairs/Roof Ventilation
If you don’t have the correct ventilation and/or insulation in your upstairs or attic area, it could cause issues with your roof. Especially in the hot summer months, ventilation is important to keep excess heat from building up. Excess heat is hard on your AC and utility bills, but it’s also tough on your roof.
Call a trusted local roofer near you to come and inspect your upstairs to ensure all is in place to keep your roof insulated and in the best possible condition for the longest period of time.
- Using Cheap Roof Building Materials
Of course, we all want to cut costs where we can, but sometimes doing so makes things more expensive in the long run. Especially when it comes to something as important as the roof over your head.
When you use roofing materials that are lower in quality, you often end up paying the price later when you have to fix cosmetic and structural damage caused by mold, mildew, and water damage.
Especially in a storm-prone area like East Texas, roofs and gutters can easily become damaged. This is especially true if the products being used are sub-par.
Spend the money on quality roofing materials at the outset. This will save you money in repairs and replacements down the road.
- Not Installing Flashing Correctly
Flashing is the material around your chimney or roof vents that helps keep them from leaking.
As you can imagine, if the flashing is installed improperly, it can cause a lot of water damage after rain. This is especially true if the leak goes unnoticed for any period of time. In a humid climate like East Texas, it’s easy for a small amount of moisture to create a lot of problems when it begins to cause rot or grow mold/mildew.
Hiring an experienced and professional local roofer will help alleviate any concern as to whether your flashing was installed incorrectly.
If you’ve recently purchased your home and aren’t sure about the roof flashing, it’s not a bad idea to call and schedule a roof inspection.
- Roof Shingles Placed Improperly and Bad Nail Job
These mistakes become pretty obvious after a big wind and rainstorm. Improperly placed shingles leave space for moisture to get in and might even get ripped off completely in a big wind storm.
Using the wrong nails or nailing the shingles down incorrectly can cause all sorts of issues—from leaks to structural problems.
- Not Conducting Regular Roof Maintenance / Inspections
When it comes to your roof, you don’t want to take chances. So many of the problems that might be occurring with your roof are things that can go unnoticed until there’s a serious problem.
Scheduling regular roof inspections helps ensure that problems that have developed are noticed and fixed. Professional roofers will fix those problems before they cost you a significant amount of money in major roof repairs or even a whole new roof!
While problems with your roof can be expensive and frustrating, it doesn’t have to be that way.
Making sure you have regular maintenance/inspections and avoiding these roofing mistakes will help guarantee your home’s roof is ready to keep you and your family safe, warm, and dry for another year.
