10 Essential Home Maintenance Tips to Keep Your Roof in Top Shape
Keeping your home in good shape requires a bit of effort from you as a homeowner. The more you can do in the form of household maintenance around the home, the better your property will be for it.
Regular maintenance can help identify underlying problems, fix things that are well overdue fixing, and also provide a much more enjoyable living space as a result. With that being said, what essential home maintenance tips are there in order to keep your roof in top shape?
Here’s everything you want to do to your home in order to keep your property in good working order, all year round.
Inspect the roof
First and foremost, you’ll want to inspect the roof carefully. This can be done from the outside but may require you to climb some ladders in order to see it properly. It’s not worth doing this unless you can guarantee that you’ll be able to do it safely with the right safety equipment and others on hand to assist.
Otherwise, you can do a check internally from the attic space to see what state the roof’s condition is in. It’s always a good idea to keep an eye on the roof from time to time in order to check for any damage that might have been done as a result of bad weather.
Roofs are meant to last a lifetime but in years that’s around fifty on average. It’s, therefore, a good idea to take a look at the roof and its age and look out for signs of wear and tear that might indicate a roof replacement needs doing at some point down the line – or in the near future perhaps.
A roofing installation company is worth researching if it comes down to needing a new roof this year.
Trim back trees and plants
To keep your roof in good condition, it’s always a worthwhile effort to trim back any trees or plants that might already be hanging over your property. The problem with these trees and shrubs that encroach onto your property, is that they may become a danger in regards to the damage it causes.
For example, an overhanging tree with have some weight to it, regardless of whether it’s just a few branches overhanging or the entire tree. If that tree or branches of the tree were to come down due to bad weather, then it’s likely going to do some damage to your roof and the rest of the home.
Separation of your backyard from your property is essential, so that’s why it’s worth trimming back any trees and plants that are otherwise encroaching on your roof and property in general.
Clean your gutters of debris
Gutters can build up with debris over time, which is why like your roof, it needs to be inspected and cleared out regularly. With your gutters, you should be taking a closer look at all areas for signs of debris as well as any potential blockages.
Blockages in the drainage system of your home aren’t a great sign because it can ultimately damage the foundations of your home should the water from the drains start leaking onto the property.
The purpose of your drains and gutters is to carry water away from the property so when it stops doing that, you’ll want to clean the gutters to avoid any problems. Again, some gutters may be harder to reach so it might be worth clearing them professionally if you can’t do them yourself.
Do a general visual check of your exteriors regularly
A general check of your exteriors is good to do when it comes to the health of your roof and the rest of your home. While you might want to focus your attention on the roof when conducting home maintenance, you don’t want to forget about the rest of the property.
Why? Well, while your roof contains everything from above, the foundations of your home and the walls are all influential to your home’s energy performance, as well as ensuring the safety of your household from the elements.
A general visual check is going to help look for any gaps or cracks within the home’s exterior that might be contributing to a draught in the home or a problem with heating.
Go around your home perhaps once a week, to check that there’s nothing amiss from what it usually looks like. If you have any concerns, it’s better to get them addressed straight away, rather than putting them off until later.
Address any leaks quickly
Leaks can be a major problem for any home and the sooner you get it sorted, the better. If the leak is coming from your roof, then it’s likely to have occurred after a bad spell of weather. This can usually penetrate even the most secure of roofs, so it’s worth taking a closer look at what damage has been done.
As soon as you spot a leak, you want to do everything you can to prevent it from getting worse. You should look at what you can do to prevent the leak from spreading. This might be simply putting a bucket under where the leak is coming from or plugging the leak so that it stops completely.
A leak might have happened but has since stopped. That could mean you need to dry out the ceilings so that you avoid any dampness. Using a fan or dehumidifier is a good way of doing this while waiting for the professionals to come out.
Addressing any leaks quickly is better than letting it get worse. Make sure you’ve addressed these leaks so that your roof can continue to protect the rest of your home through bad spells of weather.
Hire a professional to check the roof for problems
A professional is someone who can be a great help when it comes to checking the roof. Whether it’s an annual check to see if it’s all in good working order, to a fix or roof replacement.
Professional roof contractors are better than trying to DIY and perhaps causing yourself more work or injury in the process.
You should have your roof inspected professionally for any problems at least once a year and at a push, every two or three years. The longer you leave it, the more problems might occur if you just left it.
Ensure proper ventilation throughout the property
Ventilation of your property is important not only for the maintenance of the home in general but also because the roof space will need proper ventilation to avoid dampness and mold from occurring.
If you’re not ventilating the home property, a lot of moisture can end up building up in your property and as heat rises, you may find that you’re getting problems with mold in areas close to the ceiling and around spots where it’s cooler, like your windows and exterior doors.
Make sure that your home is properly ventilated throughout and that you’re keeping on top of opening windows to let out the excess moisture when cooking in the kitchen or using the bathrooms.
Replace insulation where necessary
Insulation won’t last forever, which is why you want to replace it as and when necessary. Depending on how much you paid for the insulation and the type of insulation, will often determine how long it lasts.
For some homeowners, the insulation might already have been there when they moved in, which is why you want to replace it every so often, once it becomes inefficient.
Identify where the insulation is and look to get it replaced or added in if its missing from vital areas of the home that would benefit from it.
Prevent pests
Pests can be a real problem when it comes to your home and nothing is more inviting to a pest than a warm, dark space that doesn’t see much use from humans. The attic space is usually a place for storage and therefore not somewhere that is used too often.
It’s therefore a good idea to get your roof checked routinely for any pests and to put pest proofing in place to avoid any pests from getting in. From sealing up cracks and gaps in the roof to setting traps if you’ve heard or noticed the presence of pests in the home.
Check the chimney where applicable
Finally, where applicable, it might be worth checking the chimney. While many homes don’t use chimneys anymore, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on the chimney to see if there are any signs of problems within the chute itself.
Just like a roof, you want to get the chimney inspected annually if possible and if you do use the chimney through the fireplace, then you’ll want to get it cleaned too.
These essential home maintenance tips are important to keep your roof in top shape. With that being said, use all of these above to ensure your roof stays in good condition for years to come.
