When people talk about their homes they’ll often talk about having a solid roof over their head. After all, the roof provides a huge amount of the comfort one finds in a home. Roofs are the reason why a home can be properly tweaked to one’s own preferences. A roof protects people from weather, noise, pests and all manner of other issues.
However, it’s important to remember that a roof can only protect people when those same people look after the roof’s integrity. It’s vitally important for people to repair a roof when it’s damaged. But it’s almost as important to try to keep on guard for signs of damage before it escalates in severity. There’s a few underlying reasons why a roof might need repair. And by paying attention to these reasons one can often repair it before things get too bad.
Age is one of the most common reasons why a roof might need repair. In general a roof that’s around twenty years old will often start suffering from damage. It’s simply the nature of the elements working against a surface for multiple decades. Even the strongest surfaces will wear down after decades of hot sun and freezing cold. Some factors can speed up this process. Lack of ventilation in particular will often speed up a roof’s decline due to age.
Of course many people don’t know how old their roof is. This is why neighbors getting work done on their roofs can be a sign to work on one’s own. Houses are generally built at about the same time. If a neighbor is finding that their roof is starting to show damage then it might be true of one’s own roof as well.
It’s not always easy to keep a close eye on one’s roof. But it’s worth occasionally taking a minute or two in order to assess any signs of damage. One of the biggest threats to one’s roof is life itself. A roof might not seem like a very hospitable habitat for living things. But algae and moss are both quite at home on a roof. And both can cause specific types of damage.
People can usually spot algae damage by looking for dark streaks. Thankfully algae tends to look far worse than it really is. One can usually treat it fairly easily by just spraying the roof with an even mixture of bleach and water. This can be done with a hose. However, it’s important to use a lower volume garden hose. This will ensure that there’s not enough pressure to remove the protective layer of granules which usually line shingles.
Moss is a far greater concern than algae. Moss and algae can even look alike at earlier stages. However, moss is a larger concern because it will continue to grow in both volume and mass. Worse, it tends to amass moisture within itself like a sponge. This means that one eventually has moisture and weight pressed against the roof at all times. Worse, this can also encourage fungal growth in addition to the moss. This is one of the situations where a local expert should be called in. For example, in Texas one would look for Texas roofing experts. The reason why it’s so important to look for Texas roofing experts comes down to local knowledge.
In the earlier examples of moss and algae one can see how local life can impact a roof. Experts in the area will have the best understanding of how to deal with those local threats. And in dealing with them they’ll also be able to offer additional advice about how to minimize damage in the future.
