Roof Repairs And How To Go About Them
The house insulates us from the sultry hot summer temperatures, shields us from springs gale force winds and protects us from the winters subzero temperature. But come to think of it, it?? not the house but the roof that does it all for us. Still we spend more money on decorating our place, laying carpets and placing paintings and don?? worry about the most important part of the house.
But when it starts giving us trouble, we blame the environment or the contractors or anybody but ourselves while the truth is that from the time the roof has been laid we haven?? bothered to check on it even once.
An asphalt composition roof will last you typically 25 years with minimum maintenance. But with zero repair work the roof may give out within 15 years or so. Sun is the main culprit. It ages your roof in the way it ages your skin. It causes the shingles to loose their paint/ protective coating, expand in summers and contract in winters and finally cracking after 15 to 20 years.
So when do you know that you need re roofing? The roof is covered with thick layer of asphalt which serves as water redundant and minute granules are used to coat it to provide color and reflect heat. A build up of granules indicates loose or missing shingles and it is a clear sign that the stained and rotted shingles need replacement and the leaks need fixing.
Although reroofing doesn?? need require high skill with construction materials but if you prefer re roofing yourself, be extremely cautious. A bad fall may cost more than 3 times the entire cost of re roofing. So be prepared to buy expensive safety lines as well as scaffolding and ladders.
Make sure the ladders extend above the eaves of the house and you wear non skid, rubber-soled athletic shoes and stay away from the power lines. Never work in rain or wind and always wear a mask. Use a mask to keep from breathing dangerous dust of fiberglass. Fall is the best time for re roofing as summer is too hot and distorts the material and snow is not the ideal working condition also.
Moving on to the materials that can be used for re roofing. Asphalt roofing is graded according to the expected life length. They are the most inexpensive and 100 square feet costs just 30$.This explains their presence on the majority of house tops.
Next in line are the wood shingles. They are expensive than asphalt and barely make it to 25 years. Also they are more fire prone and require special coatings to prevent fire breakouts. Costs vary but the price is in range of $100 per 100 square feet. Still they are a hit with many homeowners because of the delightful shapes they can be molded into.
After this come ceramic and slate which may cost upto $300 per square. Natural slate are permanent but concrete is more durable than clay. They weigh nearly three times the wood and require rafters to support them.
The last option is to use light weight concrete tile that are made of coal aggregate. Tile roofs do not leak water and shed snow easily. They are the best natural reflectors of all the construction materials and are absolutely fireproof.
