5 Ways to Prevent Roof Damage

Many homeowners often fear the idea of damage to their roof. Damage to a roofing system can cost an average of $600 and in many cases, this is just for repairs. Once a roof repair starts to occur many new problems can begin cropping up after the repair. There can be many causes to roofing damage which can include hail, sleet, rain and hurricanes. Roof issues can be a problem for homeowners that live in harsh and stormy climate such as throughout Florida. As there can be many causes of roof damage, it’s important to know how you can protect your roof against the elements and prevent roofing damage to your home. Here are some of the easiest ways to prevent roof damage and keep your home safe for years to come!

Ask Your Contractor the Right Questions

When you are hiring a contractor to perform repairs on your home it’s important that you are asking the right questions. Affordable roof repair needs to be done effectively and this means that a roofing company needs to be able to offer experience with their repairs. Before work begins, you need to make sure that the company is fully covered by some form of insurance and you may want to check out the reputation for some of the past work that they’ve done. This can be one of the best ways that you can ensure a roofing company is ready to face the challenges that your roofing job could present.  Delve into a bit of research and shop around to choose the right roofer or contractor in your area, receive several quotes and make sure that you are using a quote that seems like a reasonable value for the services offered. A contractor that offers some form of labor guarantee could help you save money down the road if there is a storm and you experience costly roof damage.

Watching for Overhanging Trees

One of the most common causes of roofing damage can be overhanging trees. When torrential rains and heavy winds begin to pose a risk for your roof, large tree branches and fallen limbs can often lead to major damage across your roof and the roofing structure. In order to minimize this damage and protect yourself and your family it’s very important that you take a look at surrounding trees and branches and remove them before the storm season if possible. 

Inspect Your Roof on a Yearly Basis

An annual check on your roof is one of the best ways that you can be prepared for any upcoming weather. It’s difficult to predict the future of weather but you can work at preparing your roof and the roofing structure through regular inspections. Waiting for hurricane season or when you experience your first bout of harsh weather is not a good time to consider contacting a professional for roofing inspections. Inspecting your roof with the help of a professional before the hurricane season is very important. It can be far easier to get supplies for repairing your roof when the weather is clear. 

Look at Your Ventilation

There are many attics across Florida that are not ventilated properly and the Federal Housing Administration recommends that a roof ventilation system is vented at one foot of ventilation for every 300 feet of roof. Proper ventilation can help to reduce your attic temperature and the internal temperature of your home. While having improper ventilation can raise the temperature inside your attic to well over 150°F which will often lead to mold and mildew growth, cracking of roofing materials and eventually structural damage. Ventilation can save you money down the road. 

Insurance

Being able to afford any type of damage to your roof can mean having a proper plan in place for when disaster strikes. Taking a look at your insurance coverage can help you to know that you’ll be able to afford roof damage when it happens can be important. Make sure that you have appropriate protection for your roof so that you don’t end up paying for all the expenses out-of-pocket, ensure that you are doing some research into your insurance company and that you are covered for all sorts of storm damage including hail, wind and water. 

If you need assistance with preventing storm damage, contact us today!