When last did you take a good look at your roof? Like really decided to take a break and inspect your roof. How do you know when it’s time to call professionals to have a look at the roof? A lot of you reading this will say yes I do know! Ok let’s generalize it. Since you can obviously tell when your roof needs repair what then is stopping you from calling professional roofers to have your roof fixed? The only reason there could be for seeing the obvious and neglecting is the fear of cost in repair. If this is you, I want to bring to your notice that you are not alone. It seems like a general dilemma but what people do not understand is damage on a roof is something you cannot procrastinate on. You want to know why? I will tell you; you cannot procrastinate on roof repairs because the more you do the more the expenses increase. We all are human so we definitely have something so important we are saving for and that is where all our attention is driven at. It is unfortunate that even if you have been saving for that new car, a family trip, or upgrading your wardrobe and it makes you think you can’t afford to tackle the signs in your roof signifying potential damage, well I’m here to tell you that by the time you are ready, the expenses would have grown higher. It is advised by contractors and always good to call a professional roofer to inspect your roof more often. Most of the signs signifying a potential damage to the roof can be seen from the ground while some are notable when you climb the rooftop yourself or when roof specialist does that for you. Below are the warning signs.

• Buckled, missing, cracked or curled shingles

Buckled, missing, cracked, and curled are signs that the roof is getting old. When we see these signs, we always want to remember when the house was built; this is to ascertain if the roof has lived up to its life span expectation. On the norm, the useful life of a typical asphalt/fiberglass shingle is 20-25 years, well this depends on the quality of the shingle and where you live in the country among other factors. However, over time the granules that protect the shingle material from UV rays begin to fall off exposing the material to the elements. Prolonged exposure causes the shingles to crack or curl upwards at the edges. When it cracks and the wind blows almost immediately after the crack, the wind will facilitate the shingles breaking into pieces and flying off the roof.

• Dark stained areas on your roof

This is one of the first signs anyone can notice on his or her roof; its sad many individuals tend to neglect this sign. A dark or stained area on your roof is a result of algae or fungi growth which can cause certain areas on the roof to appear dirty or black. This is a problem for the roof as the mold or algae will start eating away the shingle base slowly thereby causing them to loosen and decay. To prevent the above from happening, if you spot any dark areas on your roof and you cannot climb to take a look at it, contact a professional roofing contractor to inspect your roof on your behalf and determine if the stains are indeed algae growth.

• Shingle and sheathing deterioration

When a deteriorating shingle is not changed, it will gradually head to the sheathing panel of the roof. The situation getting to sheathing is what we have to avoid, but the truth is that many of us do not even know the cause of shingle deterioration. Well, deterioration can be caused by many factors, of which algae and mold are one of them. When a deteriorating roof goes undetected and reaches the sheathing panels, then it may be too late because sheathing is the connection between the shingles and the rafters of every roof. Whenever this connection is weak, it will make the roof more vulnerable to lose during high winds, and storms can eventually compromise the integrity of your roof.

• Blistering and peeling of outside paint

Blistering and peeling of outside paint are one of the easiest warning signs to spot. Many homeowners often see this sign and ignore them due to the fact that they likely do not know what is causing the problem. Blistering or peeling of outside paint is the result of high humidity or excessive moisture caused by poor ventilation (especially in the attic). Poor ventilation will result in hot air being built up and trapped in the attic. This excess heat is responsible for the blistering, bubbling and peeling of the exterior paint around the gables. To prevent the above from happening, you ought to have a properly working attic fan and make sure your bathroom exhausts are working properly.

• Watermarks on the ceilings

Watermark signs are rarely seen on the roof, the only way to detect or notice them is when the roof starts leaking, which is a little bit too late and kind of hard to pinpoint the exact place on the roof. Roofing leaks may be a result of deterioration or insufficient underlayment which is very costly to repair.

In conclusion, you need to look out for these signs; whenever you notice any, you have to immediately seek a way to get it tackled because procrastinating will only lead to more expenses. If, on the other hand, you can’t get on the rooftop and you want to inspect the roof, all you need is a professional roofer. If you live in NYC, reach out to our office to schedule a day and time we can come and have your roof inspected.