Roof Check: Evaluating Your RoofBy John Voket Think your home is in great shape? How about the part you can't see! I'm talking about one of your home's largest assets – the roof. DaVinci Roofscapes of Lenexa, Kansas recently developed a roster of insightful tips for evaluating one's roof, in partnership with home improvement expert and contractor Mark Clement of MyFixitUpLife.com. Clement's tips for Evaluating Your Roof include: 1. Using either a ladder or binoculars from across the street, look for problem areas, such as missing or broken shingles, along with roofing tiles that may be “flapping” in the wind. These are all indications that a new roof may be in your future. 2. If you have a steep sloped roof or a roof with multiple valleys, hire a professional roofing contractor to inspect your roof. They have the proper safety equipment to accurately inspect your roof and know exactly how to look for rodent and animal damage around chimneys. 3. Check the sides of your roof. The southern exposure weathers significantly faster than the other sides of the roof, so make sure to carefully examine this area. Also, shallower pitches weather faster than steeper pitches. 4. If you have a real cedar roof, consider your geographic location. Many West Coast homeowners are proactively replacing these wooden roofs with fire- and impact-resistant polymer shake roofs. Along with helping protect the home from potential wildfires, these roofs oftentimes come with a homeowner insurance discount. "If a new roof is in your future, strongly consider one made of composite products that resist impact-, fire- and even insect infestations," says Clement, who chose a polymer slate roof from DaVinci with a 50-year limited warranty. "When you select a polymer roofing product, you're investing in long-term security for your home."
Clement says an added bonus is these roofs are so durable that your homeowner's insurance company may offer discounts if you choose to install them on your home. |
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