How to Maintain a Healthy and Aesthetic Roof
There are many reasons for maintaining a healthy and aesthetic roof. For starters, the roof is one of the most essential features of your home, as it helps to protect your most valuable asset, i.e., your house, from damage by the elements. In addition, the roof creates a comfortable and safe environment for your family, helps to make your house more attractive, and can even add value to your property. Below are tips on keeping your roof in top shape to enjoy the above benefits.
Assess Your Roof for Any Hot or Cold Air Leaks
Air leaks are one of the biggest roofing problems that can affect your home. According to HomeLogic, air leaks through the roof can lead to up to 25% energy loss, significantly increasing your heating and cooling bills. In addition, they can force your HVAC unit to work much harder to sufficiently heat or cool your home, increasing your system’s wear and tear.
Air leaks can also cause more problems like poor indoor air quality and an uncomfortable environment for your family. In addition, they can increase your home’s humidity and moisture levels, causing several problems, including damage to your roof. Therefore, to maintain a healthy and aesthetic roof, you should hire a professional to assess your home for air leaks, especially when you notice a cold or warm draft.
The best way to fix your roof’s air leaks is to look for HVAC companies for home energy assessments. The assessment can help locate where the leaks are located and potentially unearth other hidden energy problems in your home. You can then fix the problem, for example, by adding more insulation to your attic or sealing air gaps with a caulking material.
Ask a Professional to Inspect Your Fireplace
A fireplace can be an excellent feature that can offer many benefits, like heating your house, increasing your home’s comfort, and adding value to your property. However, a malfunctioning fireplace can cause several problems; for example, a poorly installed chimney can collapse, causing extensive damage to your roof. Therefore, hiring a professional to inspect your fireplace is one of the best ways to maintain a healthy and aesthetic roof.
A fireplace inspection can help to reveal several problems that need fixing. Of course, your chimney’s structural integrity is one of the top issues to look for, as this can cause serious problems to your roof and home. An improperly sealed chimney is another problem to check for, as this can lead to water damage, mold, and mildew problems in your roof, walls, and other parts of your home.
Besides the chimney, you should allow the contractor you’ve hired to conduct a fire inspection on your fireplace to identify issues with your fireplace or potential fire safety hazards. If left unchecked, these problems can cause a fire outbreak that can damage your roof and other parts of the house. In addition, a faulty fireplace can lead to poor indoor air quality, frequent and expensive breakdowns, and a reduced lifespan.
Ensure That Your Fireplace is Working Properly
We’ve already seen how a fireplace can be vital in maintaining a healthy and aesthetic roof. Therefore, after inspecting your fireplace, you should promptly hire the necessary repair services to fix the identified issues. This will help keep your roof in top shape and guarantee the safety and comfort of your house.
Chimney repair is one of the top fireplace repair services you can hire to keep your roof and home healthy and safe. This can include fixing structural issues like cracks in the chimney flue, missing bricks, damaged chimney and crown cap, a leaning chimney, or leaks between your chimney and the roof. Fixing these problems will help keep your roof safe and attractive while ensuring your fireplace functions optimally.
Fixing a damaged fireplace is another vital repair you should execute. This can include fixing cracks in the firebox, replacing loose bricks or mortar, fixing damaged pilot lights (for gas fireplace), replacing the thermostat system, rebuilding the firebox, etc. Of course, fireplace repairs might not be cheap; according to Angi, fixing your faulty fireplace can cost as much as $2,500. However, it can save you much more by averting damage to your roof and home.
Have Your Chimney Cleaned Regularly
According to the National Fire Protection Association, around 29% of home heating fires are caused by chimneys, usually because of creosote buildup. Of course, with the chimney being very close to the roof, such a fire will cause extensive damage to your roofing. And if not contained, it can spread to other parts of the home, leaving extensive property damage behind.
But a fire is not the dirty chimney problem you’ve got to worry about. After all, the accumulated dirt inside the chimney chamber can also leak, causing large and unsightly stains on your roof, which can then spread out when it rains. Therefore, regular chimney cleaning is one of the top ways to guarantee a healthy and aesthetic roof.
Of course, if you want the job done right and perfectly, you should hire chimney sweeping professionals. This will ensure that your chimney and fireplace are thoroughly cleaned, thus removing any dirt and fire hazards that can affect your home. In addition, hiring professionals can help you avoid costly damage to your chimney and roof, which can be expensive to fix.
Make Sure Your Trees Are Not a Threat to Your Roof
The trees around your property can be a huge problem while trying to maintain a healthy and aesthetic roof. For example, falling or overhanging branches can cause extensive physical or cosmetic (scratches) damage to your roof. In addition, the leaves and debris from the trees can make your roof appear dirty and unsightly. Lastly, trees can give birds, pests, and rodents access to your roof, leading to either damage or cosmetic issues like pet or bird droppings.
Therefore, you should deal with any trees that are too near to your house if you want to keep your roof in top condition. For example, you can start by removing overhanging branches that can damage your roof or cause debris and pest problems. Of course, improperly removing these branches can easily cause roof damage, so you’re better off hiring professional tree trimming services.
On top of trimming overhanging branches, you can hire other tree services like tree removal or relocation. This will help to eliminate problematic trees, for example, ones that can be easily blown away by the wind and end up falling on your roof. This will help to protect your roof, especially if you live in a region that regularly experiences strong winds and storms.
Consider Replacing Your Garage Door While Replacing Your Garage Roof
A garage door can have a huge impact on your roof’s condition. For starters, a damaged garage door can cause pressure buildup in the garage during a storm, which can blow apart your roof. In addition, cosmetic issues with your garage door can affect the aesthetic appeal of other features of your home, including the roof. Therefore, you should promptly fix any problem with your garage door if you want to maintain a healthy and aesthetic roof.
Hiring garage door replacement services is one of the top ways to fix garage door problems and avoid roof-related issues. A new garage door will be strong and sturdy and, thus, able to withstand strong storms that can damage your home and roof. In addition, you can choose an attractive door design and color that can complement the beauty of your home’s roof, wall, and other exterior features.
Replacing your garage door can also offer several other benefits. For example, a new garage door can increase your home’s energy efficiency, lowering energy bills. In addition, it can significantly improve the safety and security of your home by protecting it from intruders, pests, and wildlife.
Inquire About Roofing During a Renovation Project
Occasionally, you’ll need to invest in renovations to keep your home in top shape. During these renovations, you should ask your contractors about ideas for improving your roof. This will help you maintain a healthy and aesthetic roof that offers maximum protection to your home and improves its curb appeal.
When planning a home renovation, you can find several ideas for improving your roof. For example, you can invest in simple improvements like pressure washing your roof to improve its aesthetic appeal. You can also repair problems like roof leaks and missing or damaged shingles, thus improving the functionality of your roof.
You can also invest in more extensive renovations to keep your roof in shape. For example, you can re-paint or reseal your worn-out, dull, or damaged roofing material. You can also do a roofing overlay or replace your old roofing shingles with new ones. Lastly, you could replace your entire roofing structure, especially if your roof is nearing the end of its lifespan or has severe issues like extensive mold damage or too many missing or damaged shingles.
Remember to Update Your Roof While Adding Other Rooms to Your Home
Apart from renovations, roofing updates are another excellent way to maintain a healthy and aesthetic roof. These updates can help significantly increase your roof’s functionality and aesthetic appeal and offer more benefits like increased energy efficiency. Therefore, you shouldn’t forget the roof when looking to update other areas of your home.
Several updates can help you to improve the quality of your roof. For example, you can consider an addition like a skylight, which can boost the curb appeal and increase your home’s value. On top of that, adding a skylight to your roof can increase your ventilation and let in more natural light, thus boosting your home’s interior comfort.
Solar panels are another excellent update you can consider for your home. The solar energy from the panels will help to make your home greener and lower your energy bills. In addition, according to a survey by Zillow, solar panels can increase your home’s value by up to 4.1%. Lastly, you can find stylish solar panels that make your home more sustainable while improving your roof’s aesthetic appeal.
Check Your Driveway for Cracks From Your Roofer’s Dumpster
When working on your roof, your roofer may bring a dumpster to your property to safely remove all the debris from your property. Unfortunately, these dumpsters are notorious for causing driveway damage, which can leave you with more problems. Therefore, even as you’re working to maintain a healthy and aesthetic roof, you should also protect your driveway.
A roofer’s dumpster can damage your driveway through scratches and cracks. One of the top ways to prevent such damage is by laying your driveway with plywood sheets or boards, thus creating a barrier with the dumpster. Other excellent options include not overfilling the dumpster (thus reducing the pressure on the driveway) or placing the dumpster away from your driveway, for example, on the streets.
Unfortunately, your roofer’s dumpster can still cause damage to the driveway, especially if contractors are not careful when hauling it off your property. In this case, you should promptly repair the driveway to prevent the problem from worsening. For example, you can hire driveway contractors for concrete work to repair cracks. Other options include concrete polishing or applying a sealer or filler to fix scratches.
Keep Up With Inspections
The key to ensuring your roof remains in good condition is to keep up with inspections. If your roof is brand new, you may be able to get away with putting them off for a year or two. However, if your roof is more than three or four years old, it’s time to start investing in annual inspections. Most local roofing services will be able to complete this for you with ease.
The professionals will be able to identify any problem areas before damage occurs or worsens. This will save you money in the long run because you can catch issues early rather than waiting until something drastic happens.
Most professionals will also recommend getting an inspection after big storms. If your roof suffered through hail, large amounts of rain or snow, or high winds, it’s best to ensure that everything is still in working order. When it comes to your roof, its better to be safe than sorry. If you haven’t had an inspection recently, be sure to call your local roofing experts.
Speak With Real Estate Agents About the Value of Your Updated Roof and Home
Maintaining a healthy and aesthetic roof can help increase your property’s value. This can come in handy when you’re looking to sell your house. Therefore, after completing any roofing or other home projects, you should talk with your real estate agent and discuss how they will affect the value of your home.
Speaking to a residential real estate agent after renovations will help you realize the full value and benefits of your home improvements. For example, the realtor can factor in the value of your new roof and home updates when coming up with a listing price for your home. In addition, they can use the new improvements as a selling point to get you a fast offer.
Unfortunately, not all roof and home renovations will increase your property’s value. For example, replacing your roof when it’s still in good condition can cost you more. Therefore, before making any improvements to your home, you should talk to your realtor. They can then advise you on the most ideal updates you can make to enjoy maximum value addition.
It’s easy to take a healthy and aesthetic roof for granted, but it’s one of the most essential assets of your home. A good roof helps to protect your home interior from rain, ice, wind, dust, debris, hail, snow, and other external elements. It also prevents roofing issues like leaks, mold, mildew, pests, etc. Lastly, a good roof helps to improve your home’s attractiveness and property value.