When prioritizing home maintenance projects, your roof should be placed at the top of the list. After all, this is the highest portion of your Eagle Creek home. Everything beneath your roof is affected when you allow periods of neglect to occur. Although you can get a good view of your roof from the curb, this structure is largely out of sight and out of mind for many homeowners. To help you better understand the importance of your roof, the following are several reasons why residential roof maintenance should be a priority.
Your Roof Protects the Interior of Your Home and Its Foundation
Your roof is your home’s first defense against the outside elements. When well-built and well-maintained, roofs prevent damage caused by water, UV rays, hail, and strong winds. Regular roof inspections ensure that no portion of these systems is compromised. If water leaks exist, their origin can be identified and repaired.
Annual roof inspections ensure that minor issues aren’t overlooked for long and that the resulting damage is minimal. If you fail to schedule this important service annually, you’re putting the interior of your home at risk. Roof leaks can damage insulation, siding, drywall, flooring, paint, and more. If serious and widespread, they can also affect things like electronics, appliances, artwork, antiques, furniture, and clothing.
One little-known fact about roof leaks is that they can also affect the integrity of building foundations. Although foundation issues can be a cause of roofing troubles, the opposite is true as well. When you take good care of your roof, you’re also caring for your home’s support beams, foundation, and other elements that determine its overall structural integrity.
Residential Roof Maintenance Preserves the Value of Homes
Diligent roof maintenance protects the value of your home. If you ever decide to sell, dark spots on the ceilings of your closets and hallways are guaranteed to be a huge turnoff for savvy buyers. Evidence of roof leaks and water damage greatly decreases the marketability of properties. They also diminish a seller’s ability to set a high asking price.
When water has made its way down from the roof into the building interior, there’s a high likelihood of hidden mold problems, wood rot, and warping. Routine maintenance minimizes these issues and keeps the interior and exterior of buildings looking brand new. Making a water-damaged home market-ready is often an extensive project that takes time and money to complete.
Your Roof Is a Multi-Layer System
It’s easy to think of roofs as single, unified structures. However, they’re actually part of a multi-layer system. Under shingles or tiles, there’s underlayment, flashing, and wood. If loose, curled, or missing shingles are identified and replaced during roof maintenance, everything that lies beneath them will be protected. Waiting to hire a roofer until there’s water dripping down from your ceilings will leave you with a roofing system that’s damaged at multiple levels. It’s always easier and more affordable to catch and correct minor roofing problems early on.
Roof Maintenance Is a Critical Part of Pest and Mold Prevention
Residential roof maintenance is a critical part of ongoing pest prevention. Loose, bent, and missing shingles create openings for ants, mosquitoes, and other small pests to make their way inside. When roof damage affects multiple layers of a home’s structure, larger points of entry are created. A roof that doesn’t receive annual maintenance has a higher likelihood of attracting birds, bats, and rodents.
Warm and damp openings in your roof make way for mold and mildew to flourish. Overlooking professional roof maintenance for too many years can leave you with black mold that compromises your indoor air quality, diminishes curbside aesthetics, and undermines the integrity of your roofing system.
Neglecting Roof Maintenance Can Void Your Warranties
Roof warranties often require homeowners to schedule professional maintenance from licensed roofing contractors at least once each year. This is also true for some home service agreements, home insurance plans, and home warranty plans that offer roofing coverage. Failing to have your roof properly maintained can be considered a breach of these contracts and could cause them to be voided. This results in you having to pay for all of your roof repairs out of your own pocket.
Stalcup Roofing & Construction proudly serves residential and commercial property owners throughout Eagle Creek, Oregon, and the surrounding areas. We offer roof replacement, maintenance, and repair services. We also offer skylight installation and maintenance, storm damage repairs, and gutter cleanings. If your roof is in need of annual maintenance, give Stalcup Roofing & Construction a call.
