If you have been a homeowner for any length of time, you likely have not remained immune to common roofing headaches. Leaky roofs, clogged gutters, pooling, and damaged shingles are just a few of the concerns that can plague your mind. But which problems require immediate reparations?
Your best practice is to act on most roofing issues right away. Procrastination when it comes to your roof places you at risk of structural damage to your house, decreased energy efficiency, accelerated depreciation, and even increased fire risk.
1- Structural Damage
Not repairing your leaky roof often has serious ramifications for the structure of your entire house. The roof loses integrity as water causes the metal to rust and the wood to rot. Water leaking down the walls leads to their collapse as well.
When the roof becomes increasingly unstable, it starts to buckle under the weight of snow and water. Rafters weaken over time, and the ceiling will sag and eventually crumble. A foundation’s prolonged exposure to water can also lead to mold growth, causing health concerns and further structural damage. Without integrity, your roof potentially fails as an effective barrier, serving as an invitation to pests like birds, mice, and ants.
2- Poor Energy Efficiency
A proactive approach to roof repairs will decrease your long-term costs. As intuition tells you, a faulty roof cannot provide insulation during the extreme temperatures you may experience in winter and summer. Energy loss causes your HVAC system to work overtime to keep your home comfortable. This has the added effect of costly repairs and replacements for heating and cooling units.
Moreover, you will easily feel the strain of rising utility bills via energy losses through gaps in the roof. Compromised roofs also have poor ventilation, negatively impacting energy efficiency and encouraging mildew growth.
3- Decreased Home Value
If your roof requires repairs or a replacement, you will have difficulty selling your home. Repairing your roof will likely not increase its worth as much as you think it should. However, a faulty roof will make a house almost worthless.
Home buyers frequently see a home with a leaky or unsightly roof as a liability. It becomes impossible to see beyond the vision of the insurmountable costs of fixing or replacing a roof. The house may fail an inspection if its roof requires repairs. As a result, a potential buyer may go well under the asking price or avoid placing an offer.
4- Hazards
Once in a sufficient state of disrepair, your roof can pose risks to your health and general safety. Water that leaks from the ceiling or seeps into the wall can drip on wires and cause circuit shorts, electrocution, and fires.
As counterintuitive as it seems, compromised roof structures often trap humid air beneath the rafters or beams. Occupants of these structures experience exposure to poor ventilation and potential fungal spores that thrive in such environments. People with allergies and respiratory ailments are increasingly vulnerable to more serious health concerns.
When you encounter common roofing failures like damaged shingles, leaking, poor installation, or gaps, your best course is to fix the issue immediately. Failure to address a compromised roof right away leads to escalating problems. You can experience structural damage to your home, increased heating and cooling expenses, property depreciation, and health and fire threats.