Everything New Homeowners Need to Know About Roofs

When it comes to renovating their houses, most people enjoy taking a top to bottom route. The roof is the top part of your house, and your home is not complete without one. It's also the most important part of any structure. Without it, your walls and floors would simply rot away, and that is not something you want, is it? Generally, homeowners can't see their roofs unless they climb on top, which is why they tend to ignore any problems or leaks with the roof.

Before you know it, all those accumulated problems will stare you in the face. Here are some things to consider when renovating your old roof:

Restoration

Before your roof deteriorates, you can easily extend its longevity by restoring it with the help of a roof plumber. If you have a tiled roof, this process is extremely useful. In case you have a metal roof, it gets a little more complicated. While you can replace one sheet at a time whenever it gets rusty, it's much easier to replace the entire roof at once. Roof restoration is also preferred if your tiled roof requires constant re-pointing and re-bedding.

If your roof has built up grime, moss, or algae, you can use a high pressure cleaning washer to rejuvenate the appearance of your home. Make sure to never wash upstream, as the pressure can cause some tiles to fall off, leaving you with an exposed roof.

Repairs

For a leaking or sagging roof, an urgent repair is needed unless you want to have a swimming pool inside your house. Metal roofs will require re-nailing or a sheet replacement, while tiled roofs will necessarily need to have their cracked tiles replaced. If you can't determine the source of the problem, you can easily call a roof plumber and have them identify and fix the problem for you. Because a roof leak might be hard to identify, the plumber might have to come back on several occasions to fix the problem completely.

Replacement

If your roof is unable to be restored or repaired, replacement is the only option. This means that you will have to completely remove the old roof and replace it with a new one. This is also the most expensive option to revamping your roof. When installing a new roof, a roof plumber will know to install a small breathable membrane in your roof cavity in order to avoid condensation. Since you're going through the expense of re-roofing, you may also want to consider proper ventilation, and insulation. Why not include a couple fashionable skylights as well?

Contact a company such as O'Boyles Roof Plumbing to learn more.