The exterior of your home, especially your roof, is important to having a safe and comfortable place to live.
Your roof keeps out the elements, drains water away from your home and helps to ventilate your attic. Without a well maintained roof, your home would be a lot less pleasant and homey. When you live in a place like the Pacific Northwest, though, your roof will always take quite a lot of abuse from the elements. As a homeowner, one of your priorities should be preserving your roof.
What Affects Your Roof’s Lifespan?
There are a lot of different factors that will affect a roof, though most of them have to do with the type of weather and materials of your roof. An average roof life will usually last about 20 years, but the more environmental damage your roof suffers will mean your roof may not last that long. Your wet, rainy weather affects your roof by:
- Moisture: Rain, snow and ice are the most crucial elements to consider when you’re thinking about the lifespan of your roof. Water in all of its forms can make shingles deteriorate, wood rot, and put pressure on your roof structure. Water will find holes when it is allowed to run into the wrong places and severely damage your roof, your home’s structure and your attic insulation.
- Wind: Wind is a big factor that contributes to roofing damage and something which some people ignore. Heavy wind can often remove tiles or peel back shingles, which ultimately reduces your roof’s lifespan.
- Poor Ventilation: Water will always be able to get into your roof, either by rain or water vapor. Without proper ventilation, moisture can build up, causing the inside of your roof to rot or further damage attic insulation and your roof structure.
How Can You Make Your Roof Last Longer?
There is a lot of debate around the web surrounding roof lifespans. Some people will assume a low-end roof can last for around 10 to 20 years. But, some may also tell you a higher-quality roof will last upwards of 40 to even 50 years. Regardless of these estimates, compared to the rest of the house, your roof is going to be one of the first parts to go, because it is so exposed to the elements.
Thankfully, there are a lot of different ways to improve the lifespan of your roof.
As the first of these, it makes sense to have a Guardian Roofing professional inspect your roof and gutter system regularly, especially if it’s showing signs of age. Our team can handle all sorts of roof maintenance and repairs, and Guardian Roofing will always be honest when we know something can be fixed instead of being replaced.
Guardian Roofing Can Help
All things need cleaning and maintenance in order to function efficiently, and your roof is no different. Though easily overlooked, your roof is your home’s first defense against the elements and as such, often receives the toughest beating. Here in the Pacific Northwest, the fluctuating temperatures, coupled with heavy tree coverage and heavier rainfall means your roof has the potential to fail sooner if not maintained properly.
Common materials like asphalt shingles, wood shakes, or concrete tiles all suffer from common trouble areas, like around skylights, vents and chimneys. Typically, these trouble spots can be attributed to damaged flashing and sealants that are supposed to keep water out. Over time, normal weathering, moss and tree leaves can cause damage to the flashing and the shingles themselves. Shingles can crack or break and allow water into the roof layers underneath and eventually leak into the home or business.
To protect a homeowner or business owner’s investment, the National Roofing Contractors association recommends that your roof be extensively inspected AT LEAST once a year- if conducted correctly an inspection and regular maintenance program will not only add years to the life of the roof, but it will detect minor problems before the damage is widespread and costly.
How Do You Tell if Your Roof Needs Maintenance?
As noted above, the NRCA recommends an annual inspection and maintenance. This may or may not apply to YOUR roof. The following are some factors to consider to determine if your roof needs an inspection:
- Leaves or Evergreen Needles collecting on your roof and in your gutters (Leaves, pine needles, twigs or silt buildup will trap water and cause a capillary action where water tracks underneath the tiles or shingles and seeps into the home.)
- Clogged Gutters (Gutters clogged with debris will slow drainage or cause water to backup giving it time to seep through and cause leaks.)
- Moss and Algae growing on your roof
- You live in a high wind area
- Your home gets snow and ice build up on an annual basis
- Your roof is more than 5 years old
- You have a brick or stone chimney that is more than 10 years old
- You have skylights that are more than 10 years old
The more of these factors that apply to your roof, the more often your roof will need maintenance. Even if you have none of these issues, you want to have your roof looked at every 5 years minimally.
Is Roof Maintenance Expensive?
Not when you use the Guardian Roofing Maintenance program. In fact we perform our initial evaluation for FREE!
Our technician will thoroughly inspect your roof and its components. They will review their findings with you. If there is any work recommended, they will discuss the options available to you. The amount of service usually ties to the factors listed above, plus the regularity of previous maintenance and the size of the roof that needs care.
What Does Guardian Roofing Service?
Our company employs a staff of highly trained technicians that are dedicated full time to roofing repair, cleaning, and maintenance. We specialize in all Roof Systems and Roof Related Components:
- Asphalt Composite
- Wood Shake and Shingle
- Concrete Tile
- Flat and Low Sloped Roofs
- PVC/TPO Roofing
- Metal
- Walking Decks
- Brick and Block Chimneys
- Skylights
Guardian Roofing recommends that your roof be inspected at least once a year. Doing this, and investing in a regular maintenance program, can prolong the life of your roof, give you the peace of mind, and prevent damage to your home.
When your home is ready for a new roof, repairs, or maintenance, you need a reliable, dependable roof repair company. You count on you roofing contractor to keep your home safe and dry. Guardian Roofing is committed to providing top-quality service, professionalism and workmanship.
If you are looking for a roof repair contractor please call us today at 877-926-9966 or complete our online service request form »
