Roofs can be tricky, seemingly small problems could be hiding larger issues and sometimes what looks like a somewhat easy repair ends up costing thousands of dollars.
How do you tell if you have a problem or not? Obviously, scheduling a full inspection/estimate from a local roof contractor will answer this question, but what can you look for to determine if you should have a professional come out? Even without grabbing a ladder and going up on the roof itself, you can check for problems, and determine if a professional should be called.
Check the Attic:
If you are performing a preliminary self inspection on your roof, getting up into the attic and inspecting there can tell you a lot about the current state of your roof. Especially after weather events such as wind-driven rain and freezing, wet weather, looking for leaks may indicate larger issues. If you see leaks after a rain storm or after ice forms in freezing weather, these could indicate a problem with inadequate underlayments or deteriorated flashing.
Your attic should be completely dry even after heavy rains, if it’s not you may have a problem and should have a professional roof contractor track down the source before the problem worsens.
Interior/Exterior walls
Look for signs of blistering and/or peeling paint on the interior or exterior walls, poor attic ventilation can cause high humidity or even excessive temperatures that can cause damage not only to your roof but to structural elements such as walls.
Look for stains or mold/mildew growth on the interior walls and ceiling. Inadequate or faulty shingle underlayment can allow leakage or inadequate ventilation to occur, damaging ceilings and walls. Finding the source of problems like these is imperative to prevent further damage.
Looking at the exterior of your home, do you notice decay on your sheathing or siding? This could be caused by poor attic ventilation as well.
Now look at the roof itself (as much as you can see from the ground), are there missing, cracked or curled shingles? If there are it is likely they have reached the end of their useful life and likely need to be replaced.
Do the singles look “dirty”? Black stains or streaks could be a sign of algae or shingles that are old (loss of granules reveal the dark color of the shingle). You may need to replace your shingles as the more damaged they become the less effective they are.
Finally, look at your energy bills, do they seem excessive? Insufficient attic ventilation and other roofing problems cause your heating/cooling systems to run excessively, running up your bills. Inadequate attic ventilation will trap hot or cold air (depending on the season) in the attic, causing humidity problems such as moisture, which condenses on the rafters, dripping into insulation and into your walls and ceilings. Reducing the effectiveness of your insulation can cause excessive energy use and thus higher costs.
Think it may be time to replace your roof? Visit our “Do I Need A New Roof?” section for more information on signs you may need to replace your roof!
If you notice any issues in this post, call Atlanta Roofing Specialists today at 770-419-2222 and schedule a FREE estimate/inspection, doing so may save you thousands of dollars and headaches!
