Common Roof Problems

2010-07-29T19:53:00.000-07:00

Gutters -

First of all, if you have a green thumb, it is never a good idea to encourage plant life in your gutters. Just making that clear, even if you are making your own personal attempt at a "Green Roof" to help the environment, I am highly suggesting to at least keep those gutters clean! Gutters are known to cause roof moisture problems if they aren't kept clear of debris. They do make gutter guards that can keep out larger unwanted items...some gutter guards are better than others just in the way they are made. If you purchase a guard system that has proven track record, awesome. You should know, some of the cheaper made systems do work but require proper installation to function accordingly. Personally, I check ours often & just clean as needed.

Your gutters should be flush to the fascia of your building, if they have fallen away, they need to be repaired or replaced. Simple as that.

Chimneys -
I always suggest that if you have the slightest notion your chimney is the culprit of the bucket under your ceiling, you should contact a roofing contractor or a masonry contractor. However, I will let you in on some info, even if you don't know exactly what I'm talking about, mention any or all three common chimney issues to the contractor assessing your problem & at least feel better that they will in turn have the sense that you know your stuff.
Chimneys normally leak due to one of the following three reasons:

Chimney Caps

Chimney Flashings

Missing mortar

Missing Shingles or Nail Pops -
Probably two of the cheapest repairs you can have done. Guys, imagine coming home to see your beautiful wife up on the roof w/your hammer. Are you feeling terrified or proud? If it's a nail pop, hopefully she didn't actually remove the nail, which could make the problem worse. If she or you have removed a nail, make sure to caulk it w/some asphalt roof cement sold in any home center.
For missing shingles, I recommend leaving this minor repair to a professional. A DIY fix could reach a little deeper in your pocketbook. A professional repair of this degree can normally be handled in one trip at minimal costs. Your roofing contractor will want to know in advance the color of your shingles if possible so that he can bring repair materials w/him. Hopefully you hung on to any excess shingles when you're roof was installed.

Plumbing Vent Flashings -
If your kitchen or bathroom ceiling is wet or has been stained, these buggers known to roofing contractors as plumbing vent stack flashings may be the reason. The cheaper ones are made of black rubber & plastic, UV Rays deteoriate & crack the flashings. If you're a pro at fixing stuff, you could attempt to caulk the cracks w/a good exterior urethane caulk (no silicone please). You may want to call in a roofer to replace the flashing w/a higher quality lead plumbing vent flashing. It does makes sense that the lead flashing would be very much superior to the rubber/plastic flashing. HOWEVER, if you already have a lead vent flashing & it's leaking, chances are you may have a furry little friend sharpening their teeth & claws on this...some people believe squirrels like the soft lead.

Valleys -
This is where two roof planes come together. If the shingle valleys are not installed properly, they will leak & sometimes it won't be an immediate thing. There really isn't much a DIY'er can do here but replacement of the valley is absolutely a MUST! This can be expensive due to the steepness (slope) of your roof & length of valley plays a part. Be very wary of anyone who wants to "REPAIR" this type of problem. Chances are they will use roof cement & your problem will return ten times worse. To be on the safe side, have a competent, reputable roofing contractor replace your valley! You can find good companies through your Better Business Bureau free of charge & you will be so glad you did.

About Me...RooferGirl

2010-07-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

My world consists of my family & my career, juggling the two is sometimes a struggle but for the most part, as long as nothing major goes wrong, I do okay.
I've started this blog in hopes to help some of you do-it-yourselfers (like me) who shop cheap & thoroughly enjoy saving serious money. I am RooferNLaw Girl, basically, I married into a roofing contractor company/family. Never saw it coming - but the last six years have been an absolute blessing. Back to point, if you're really like me, if you've got a problem somewhere in or on your business or home, first thing I do is get to the bottom of it or top, dependent upon where the actual issue really is. Now, I'm not saying that you should throw up a ladder & hop up on your roof especially if you are prone to accidents or somehow inherited the clutz gene from one of your ancestors. Two particular memories come to mind in mentioning the proneness to accidents, I threw up a ladder, climbed on up, got to the top, looked around, found what I thought was going to be the pain in my pocketbook & then walked back over to the ladder only to realize I was a lot higher than I remembered climbing & suddenly froze. Embarrassing right? Here's one even better, my husband, the roofing contractor, climbs up to a customer's building, makes the roof repair & when finished, goes back to where he left his ladder to find that the high wind had blown it off the side of the building. I was hysterical in hearing this story from him, the professional, stranded on a roof, impatiently waiting for someone to hear his screams. : ) He was perfectly fine & still highly respected.
Okay, so back to your roof, in my next post I'm going to break down some common roofing problems, hopefully they will help at least one of you, man or woman, & save you a bit of dough. Feel free to send me any questions & I'll answer them the best I can or have one of the professionals here assist. And, just for legal clarification purposes...I did NOT say to get on your roof...If you are in the Louisville, Kentucky area, skip the ladder & DIY & give us at Commonwealth Roofing Corp. a shout.

RooferNLawGirl's Blog

Common Roof Problems

About Me...RooferGirl