Roofing Remodeling Tips For The Budget Minded Homeowner
June 13, 2011
Roof renovation or remodeling is one of the things that occupy priority in your mind, when you live in a home that has a roof of questionable quality. When, it comes to an old roof, you are in doubt about whether it is better to repair it or replace it. Let us look at the pros and cons of both of these decisions and you can judge what course of action is the best for you:
The most viable time to repair a roof is after a harsh winter season, where icy wind may have damaged the roof. There is an issue of dark spots on the roof and water leaking and damaging the interiors of the home. Water can get under the roof, percolate through the pipe and accumulate on the floor. Heavy ice-buildup on the floor can damage the roof, which means even more costly repairs. You may try a heat tape, but that is risky; there have been many cases of homes catching fire due to this. So, if you have a new home, it will be still under warranty and you can ask the contractor to look into it.
Before this, make sure that your read the terms and conditions of the service contract before you sign the dotted line. The thumb rule to repair the roof is when one third of it is damaged. Find out for these things: dark spots on the ceiling, signs of water damage, sagging soffits, leaking in the attic, blistered ceiling and interior walls, algae buildup, dirty shingles. All of these are signs that you need to repair the roof as a part of the home improvement process.
One of the most important things to do while buying a home is to check the quality of the roof. The regions that you move into also have a bearing on the quality of roof. When you are remodeling your roof, you can go for clay tiles; they are of good quality but expensive. Materials used for roofing depend on the country or region where your house is built. For instance, the roofing material in Southern California is either clay or ceramic which may not suit countries that have acute winter.
Discuss with your contractor before roof modeling about what kind of roofing material will be appropriate. If you are using tile or slate, you have to make use of plywood as an under layer. Make sure the roof is water proof; this can be done by applying tar over the plywood. Construct the flashing and place the shingles before applying the sealants. You can ask a special contractor to do all this, while you make sure that everything is done in the best manner possible.
Metal roofs can actually last for forty years, while asphalt shingles can last for a lesser period. Special materials like slat have been known to surpass 100 years! Talk with your roofing contractor to find out if it is fine to repair the roof or remodel the entire roofing system. Discuss with him about the type of roofing material, the installation type to be used and the venting needed for each type.
