When you’re talking about your home’s roofing, the name of the game is preserving your roof for as long as possible and ensuring that it stays in top condition, as to continually protect your home year after year. However, as we all know, this is much easier said than done and all too often, it’s one problem or another that brings our pristine roof to a lower level of functionality, eventually getting to the point where a full replacement or major repairs are needed to keep it working in our favor.
Rather than just hope and pray that our roofing can stand up to the elements on its merit alone, consider thinking about some of the more common damages to roofing in Calgary and how they can be assessed and prevented so that you’re not stuck with an inferior roof or a developing problem:
- Missing shingles: Missing shingles can happen for a variety of reasons—high winds, cracking and breaking, etc.—and once they’re gone, the leave a patch of your roofing exposed. The elements will quickly exploit these areas, making it paramount that you address them as soon as possible. A good idea to is have a few spare shingles handy that you can nail in place or a roofer on speed dial to come out and patch up any areas that are growing to become problematic.
- Slope issues: The slope of your roof has a lot to do with how it drains water and prevents debris from settling atop your shingles. If you have slope issues—whether as a product of poor design or due to something like a home addition—your roof will need to be properly assessed to find out where the main issues are occurring in regards to damage from sloping troubles.
- Organic Growth: Occasionally, organic growth on your roof can occur under the right conditions. This could be anything from moss to lichen or even fungus—regardless of what type of growth it is, however, it needs to be taken care of immediately. Roofing in Calgary can suffer tremendous degradation at the hands of organic growth, which will wear down your shingles and invite further growth down into the structure of your roof.
- Leaks and moisture damage: In the event that your roof has suffered from unseen wear and tear, leaving you with the immediate problem of leaks and/or moisture damage, you’re going to need immediate and thorough repairs before the structure of your roof is truly compromised any further. This requires the source of water intrusion to be located and repaired, with any damages sustained being assessed appropriately.
- Flashing damages: This is one of those problems that tends to go unnoticed because homeowners aren’t exactly sure of what they’re looking for or what they’re looking at when they see it. Flashing damages occur when the metal parts that are used to seal the corners of roofs become damaged—whether that means ripped up, rusted away or missing altogether. Flashing tends to be hidden or blended to make a roof look more complete, so you might not even realize you have a flashing issue until a professional inspects your roof. If there is indeed a problem, you’ll need to have the flashing replaced by a pro.
Keep in mind these are just five common problems that can befall roofing in Calgary—there are many, many more to look out for and much more that can be done in the way of protecting your roof!