There are numerous ways in which your home can get damaged starting from a house fire, all the way to a devastating earthquake. However, the biggest threat to the structural integrity of your house comes from water damage and there is only one-way water enters your house and that is through the roof. Inspecting the roof regularly and carrying out any necessary repairs helps preserve its waterproofness and divert all rainwater away from your home. As a homeowner, you are more than qualified to spot the telltale signs indicating that your house is in need of a roof repair as soon as possible.
The attic lookout
Back in the day, the attic a house or commercial building was often used as a lookout. In modern times, you can still use the attic to look out for any signs of water damage by climbing up and inspecting this room after every major storm. What you’re actually looking for are signs of water damage in the woodwork. Furthermore, you need to take special care of the rafters and see if they have sagged even the slightest. Their sagging can indicate that moisture had penetrated your house and that the wooden structure is, at least in some places, soaked with water. Since the understructure of most roofs is made from wood, you’re not going to look for signs or water dripping from the ceiling or pouring down the walls but rather of wooden beams that are wet or that have taken in water.
Stained walls and paint that peels off
Even if you don’t travel up to the attic you can still notice water damage from inside your home by taking a close inspection of the ceiling and the walls for any stains. Regardless of its eyes, staining on the wall or on the ceiling is a clear indicator that you have a water problem. Due to the inner structure of the roof, such stains are commonly found along the joints of the ceiling and the walls. Another clear indicator of the presence for moisture inside your home is the blistering and peeling off of wall paint. Like water, moisture always finds its way and fills in the slightest of cracks in the walls and paint. If you see small blisters appearing on the paint on the walls, you can be sure that there is water damage involved.
The weather factor
If it’s the middle of the drought season which hits many regions in Australia, then you are probably not going to have any issues neither with the roof nor with water damage. However, once the rainy season sets in, it sets in hard, pouring down gallons of water onto your roof and testing it’s waterproofness to the limit. Once this happens in a major city like Sidney, then all the residents get on the phone at the same time looking for a good roofing company. The companies which provide the best roof repairs in Sydney are highly sought after so it might be wise to contact them before a major storm hits to ensure that any damage will get fixed quickly. Perhaps you cannot control the weather, but you can definitely influence the repairing process after a major storm.
Shingles and flashings
The biggest indicator that your roof is damaged and that it is in need of immediate repair is missing shingles. They are easy to spot because after the wind blow them away from the fall down onto the ground beside the house. However, it might prove difficult to spot shingles that are damaged but still in place. After their lifespan ends, shingles usually crack and become twisted at the ends, so this is a clear indicator that you should have them replaced. Always keep in mind that the roof structure is as sound as the worst shingle.
In addition, you should also inspect the flashings while you’re up on the roof. They too deteriorate over time so they might need replacing along with adjacent shingles. As we have stated earlier, water is a tricky enemy to your house because it can use the smallest of cracks to go through. What is more, it solely erodes the surface of shingles, causing minuscule black granules to appear in your gutters, a sure signal that the shingles on your roof are nearing the time that they will have to be replaced.
The importance of clean gutters
The gutters on your roof are perhaps the element that is the most easily upkept. Grabbing a pair of ladders, leaning them against the house and cleaning the leaves every spring is not very hard. Besides a possible leaf pile-up, a more serious threat to the gutter structure is metal fatigue that causes the metal to become thin and rupture after being battered by the elements for decades. If this occurs, you will immediately notice drops of water forming on the underside of the gutters, which is a clear indicator that there is a hole inside them that you need to fill in with caulk.
By being alert to the 5 signs listed here, you are guaranteed to intervene on time when you notice roof damage. As a result, the roof repair will be timely, cost-efficient, and it will prevent any water damage to the inside of the house.
Author Bio
Audrey Taylor was born in San Francisco, and moved to Adelaide at the age of five. Marketer researcher and social media manager on hold, full – time mommy of a cheerful two-year-old. Graduated from Queensford college, worked in a couple of marketing agencies across Australia, eager to learn more about business and share her experiences. Traveled across Europe. Her hobbies include: home decor, fashion, travel, music, old movies. Twitter: https://twitter.com/theaudreyworld