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7 Simple Steps To Maintain Your Roof

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For homeowners, properly maintaining your home’s roof is crucial to ensuring its durability and reducing repair and replacement costs in the future. While roofs have significant benefits of protecting homeowners from adverse weather conditions, raging elements and water leakage into a home makes roofs age. If care is not taken, damaged and aging roofs will allow leaks and mold in your household. Here are seven simple steps you can take to maintain your roof.

Perform a Complete Evaluation of the Roof

man on top of a roof

Perform an evaluation of your roof regularly

Different rooftops materials need different types of maintenance. You should identify the type of material on your roof, its age and when the last repair was made and why. A roof maintenance checklist will help determine whether it has been repaired before and how many times. This will help a homeowner avoid future damages and get excellent maintenance results. Newer roofs may have small gutter problems while an old rooftop could have critical issues like rust, cracks, and mold.

Clear Away Debris Regularly

Debris usually collects in the gutters and valleys of rooftops. As such, they cause clogging of the gutters leading to drainage issues. This may cause cracks and rusting of both the roof and gutter. Debris not only adds weight to the roof but also pools rainwater and snow. This can later promote the growth of mold and rot. However, a homeowner can clean and remove debris with their hand, leaf blower or soft brushes. You should avoid the use of pressure-washers and scraping as they can increase the damage to your roof.

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5 Things You Need to Know about Fire Suppression & Your Roof

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Fires are unfortunately common in the Dallas area and they can wreak havoc on your home. Flames, heat, and smoke can spread throughout your home quickly causing significant damage. There’s also potential injuries to you and your loved ones. You may not realize it, but your home’s roof can play a major role in how much damage your property endures from a fire and it risk of fire. Some fires are not preventable, such as those that start from a lightning strike. Yet, your roof may offer excellent fire suppression that can decrease the speed of a fire spreading throughout the home. Some features can even squash a fire almost immediately after it starts.

Your Location Can Affect Your Fire Risk

invest in a forest fire home protection system

Some areas are more prone to fire

As your reputable roofing company in Dallas-Fort Worth, we are very familiar with the local fire risks that our residents face. For example, the intense heat that Texas is known for can raise temperatures on residential roofs. The heat can increase temperatures inside the home as well. When other risk factors are present, this can create a high-risk situation for a fire. This is more so if you live next to a grassy or wooded area that can become very dry during hot summer months. Evaporator roof cooling systems are one of the options available for improving your roof and keeping the fire risk as low as possible. This option can also help you to save money on energy costs throughout the year and make your indoor environment more enjoyable.

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7 Roofing Problems that Need Your Urgent Attention

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There are many causes for roof defects, but the good news is catching most roofing problems early can help you avoid costly roof replacement. Here are some of the most common roof problems.

Dipping or Sagging

If your roof is sagging or dipping, it’s a sign that there is a problem that needs your immediate attention. If you ignore the sagging, there is a chance your roof can collapse. In this case, you will likely bear the full cost of replacement as most insurance companies require that you mitigate damage.

A few common reasons for a sagging roof: the materials are faulty, it has suffered serious water damage, or it’s bearing too much weight. Sometimes ceiling joints actually pull away from the roof rafters and cause the outer material to sag. In some cases, roofing problems with shingles look worse than they are. It’s possible that the shingles are the problem if they seem warped or the sagging started after the shingles were installed. If the shingles seem to run in straight lines, the structure itself could be bowing.

Leaks

most common roof problems

Roof Leaks are a very common roof problem

A leak is an obvious sign that there is something wrong with your roof, such as damaged flashing, shingles, or tiles. While you may be tempted to ignore a minor leak for a while, there are several dangers a leaky roof can pose.

  • Damage to the ceiling and attic. The water will cause stains on the ceiling and damage paint, fans, and lights. More importantly, the drywall in your ceiling will quickly absorb the water and become structurally weak. This can cause your ceiling to collapse without warning.
  • Mold and mildew. Mold spores can germinate in 12 to 48 hours with the right conditions, such as moisture and darkness. Once mold begins to grow behind your ceiling and walls, it can spread through your HVAC system.
  • Fire hazard. A leaking roof can pose a serious fire hazard if the water reaches any electrical wiring and causes a short.
  • Higher utility costs. The water intrusion will damage insulation. This makes it harder to keep your home air conditioned. This means higher cooling bills in the hot Texas summers.
  • Compromised integrity of the roof. Of course, a leak can also damage the rafters, joists, wall framing, fascia boards, and trim of your home and roof. The longer the leak continues, the greater the damage and the eventual repair cost. In a worst-case scenario, a leak can also cause your roof to collapse.

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Top 7 Roofing Insurance Claim Mistakes to Avoid with Residential Roofing

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If your roof has ever been damaged during a storm, you know you may be dealing with pricey repairs. Water damage alone can cost in the hundreds when repairing your home.

It’s important to file an insurance claim when you need to get your house repaired from storm damage. Unfortunately, one of the most common problems homeowners experience is having a claim rejected. To help avoid this annoyance, this guide will show the top seven residential roofing claim mistakes that you can avoid when repairing damage.

  1. Consulting Your Insurance Company Before Talking to a Roofer

roofing insurance claim

Avoid making a claim before consulting your contractor

You should talk to a roofing contractor before you to talk to your insurance company and before any repairs start on your home, . This is primarily because you need a qualified roofer to determine how badly damaged your roof is and to document the condition of it.

A roofer can help you identify the cause of the roof damage to your insurance company to prevent your claim from being denied.

  1. Repairing Your Home Without Consulting Your Insurance Company First

Before you start repairing your home, you should first check what is and isn’t covered by your insurance policy. You don’t want to complete thousands of dollars in repairs without receiving reimbursement from your insurance company. If you avoid this step, you should expect to pay for your roof repairs out of pocket.

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A Beginner’s Guide to Knowing Your Roof: New Homeowner’s Edition

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Buying a new house can be a dream or a nightmare, depending on your housing knowledge and general awareness when it comes to property investment.

Indeed, one of the major mistakes that homeowners make when buying a new house is not taking into account structural details that either make property a worthy investment, or more expensive due to extensive maintenance and poor resale value.

Case in points: residential roofs.

Just because a house looks picture perfect—with a lovely asphalt shingle roof that triggers images of a red-suited Santa Clause—doesn’t mean it’s worth the money.

In fact, your realtor is likely to show you parts of the house that look appealing, but do not necessarily offer long-term benefits.

As a new homeowner, you’re probably nervous about making a poor investment—hoping to get the best of everything, and negotiating price based on priorities.

While this is fairly normal, it’s unadvisable to compromise on key structural elements, such as a roof—which could mean signing up for costly roof replacement in the near future, especially if you live in unpredictable Texan climate.

Understanding Roofing Systems

roofing system

Before making a hefty property investment, take a moment to study the anatomy of a house and understand how a subpar roof could affect your expenses in the long run. Roofs come in all shapes and sizes, but not all roofs are created equally.

In general roofing systems consist of four layers, each one serving a specific function:

  • Underlayment: This protects your roof from water penetration, creating a barrier against moisture damage.
  • Starter shingles: These help to evenly secure the eaves and rakes—particularly useful during rainfall.
  • Roof shingles: Not only are asphalt shingles aesthetically pleasing, but can also last between 20 to 30 years and prevent the black stains caused by algae.
  • Roof ridges: These act as an anchor to support the trusses and roof rafters.

Cladding, Venting and Gutters

When it comes to roof cladding, you have several types to choose from—each one with pros and cons, depending on the material used, climate and geographical zone, among other factors.

  • Metal roofs: energy efficient and durable.
  • Asphalt shingles: fairly common, architecturally attractive and lightweight.
  • Shake roofs: composed of wood product, flammable and susceptible to mold and mildew.
  • Roof tiles: extremely durable, with a lifespan that can exceed 50 years.
  • Flat roofs: resistant to ultraviolet rays, but susceptible to water leakage.

Based on your choice of roof cladding, you may also look for roof penetrations such as a vent or chimney—a pathway or direction for heat and fumes to exit the house. Ensure the presence of metal flashing to prevent heat and water damage.

And last but not the least: downspouts that allow rainwater to drain away from the basement in order to avoid indoor flooding.

Think you got it all?

This is just the tip of the iceberg, folks!

Buying a new home can be intimidating, but if you know what to look for, it can give you the confidence to buy a home that truly lasts a lifetime.

For more questions about roofing Fort Worth TX systems, get in touch with James Kate Roofing and speak to someone who’s been in the business 15 years and counting!

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