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The Roof System
Your roof is one of the 4 most critical systems that your home has which means that it requires a special level of maintenance and upkeep. Below is more detailed information about roofing, roof components, and roof services. Become a premium member today to get exclusive benefits when you use our in-network providers for your roofing needs!
Annual Roof Inspection
It is recommended by both the construction and housing industries to get your roof inspected each year at a minimum. This helps to ensure you catch any potential roofing problems early before they turn into a huge nightmare of an expense as well as gives you professional documentation to show due diligence in case you have a problem with your homeowners insurance provider.
Furthermore, choosing a certified roof inspector, like us, gives you the confidence in knowing that we are specifically trained to inspect roofs for defects, we are completely unbias when it comes to our assessment of your roof, and we will inspect the roof from the exterior as well as in the attic space. Become a premium member today and earn free inspections!
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Florida Wind Mitigation Inspection
Florida deals with strong windstorm events and hurricanes on a regular basis which is one of many factors that have led to homeowners' insurance rates increasing. A wind mitigation inspection can help you qualify for homeowners insurance discounts depending on what wind-resistant features your home or building has. Any time you have a new roof, windows, or doors installed on your home or building you should have a wind mitigation inspection performed. Become a premium member today to earn free inspections!
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Roof Maintenance
Proper care and maintenance of your residential home or commercial building's roof and roofing system are important as they help to increase its functional lifespan. While there is no surefire way to accurately predict how long your roof will last since there are a ton of factors to consider, you can take measures to help slow down the aging process and help mitigate any premature system failure.
Having an annual roof inspection performed is a great way to identify any potential issues you may not know about as well as help you professionally document any roof repairs or services you have performed. Become a premium member to earn free inspections as well as special promotions for roof work!
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Roof Structure
Roofs are constructed in several different styles depending on how the home is designed. Generally, the most common roof styles are gable roofs, flat roofs, hip roofs, or a combination of any of those three. The purpose of a roof, regardless of the style, is to shed water efficiently. It doesn't matter how beautiful the roof looks if it does not function properly. Roofs are designed for both function as well as beauty but keep in mind that roofs are NOT WATERPROOF which means if you would turn the home upside down and place it in a body of water like a lake the house would sink.
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Roof Coverings
Roof coverings are the second layer of protection for your roof and are the layer that is visible from the ground. It is like armor that helps to protect the roof underlayment from damage as well as the roof itself. Roof coverings come in several different types and styles each with their own features that are designed for the region of the world they are used. The most common types of roof coverings include asphalt shingles, metal, wood shakes, clay tile, and slate tile but these can vary with region and climate. Roof coverings need to be durable enough to withstand the constant stresses that they undergo. In warmer climates, they bake in the sunlight, and in colder climates, they freeze.
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Roof Underlayment
Roof underlayment is the primary protection for your roof. It is the layer that keeps water from entering the home or building. Any damage to the underlayment likely will result in negative consequences for your roof so you want to make sure that you invest in quality material. The three most common types of roof underlayment for residential homes are tar paper, synthetic underlayment, and peel and stick. Each type of roof underlayment has its own installation specifications and features.
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Roof Sheathing and Decking
Directly under the roof underlayment is the roof deck or roof sheathing. Usually made of out of sheets of plywood or OSB (oriented strand board) they attach to the wood framing members of the roof and help to both strengthen the overall integrity of the roof as well as give the roof underlayment and roof covering a surface to attach. If the roof develops a leak the sheathing and or roof decking can become damaged from the moisture and ultimately the roof structure can become compromised. It is important and critical that these areas be kept dry.
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Roof Eaves
The eaves of the roof overhang the outermost part of the exterior walls of the home or building and are where gutters are designed to be hung (on the fascia board.) They help to discharge water from the roof away from the home or building as well as provide a way for airflow to access the attic space which helps to keep the roof breathing properly.
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Roof Plumbing Pipes and Pipe Boots
Most every roof has at least one (1) plumbing pipe that pertrudes out from and terminates above the roof surface. Your main plumbing vent stack is one of those pipes but can also include appliance vent pipes. These pipes can be made out of cast iron, lead, or pvc. Pipe boots which fit over the plumbing pipes help to both seal the gap where the pipe sticks out from the roof as well as give enough room for the roof and pipe to move freely for the expansion and contraction of the different materials as the seasons change.
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Roof Skylights
Skylights help to illuminate rooms and spaces by giving sunlight another path to the inside of your home or building. They range in style and can be installed in almost any location on your roof. They are however notorious for leaking so be sure to keep that in mind when deciding on replacing or installing them.
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Roof Satelite Dishes
Satelite dishes are a very common item that can be found mounted on a roof of a home or building. The problem with mounting satelite dishes directly to the roof surface is it creates penetration points where the lag screws are screwed into the roof itself. This exposes the roof to unnecessary risk for moisture intrusion. Yes, the installers will seal the screws with sealer but over time that sealer will need to be replaced and unless you are diligent with maintaining your roof it likely can leak before you even notice. A much better solution is to have the satelite service provider mount the satelite dish on a pole in the yard.
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Roof Chimneys
The sole purpose of a chimney is to direct harmful and toxic fumes and gasses to the exterior of the home or building and discharge them. Chimneys range in style depending on how your home is designed but at the end of the day their purpose is the same. Chimneys can be constructed in many different ways but most commonly are built using bricks and mortar but may also have a wooden casing built around them which is very common in states like Florida.
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Roof Vents and Ventilation
All roofs need to breathe. What we mean by that is a roof needs to have adequate airflow in order to function properly and efficiently. Roofs that do not have enough airflow run the risk of overheating which results in damaged roofing materials as well as can lead to high moisture levels caused by excessive humidity. Moisture damage can become very expensive and can lead to health problems caused by situations involving microbial growth. There are two basic types of roof venting methods which are PASSIVE and ACTIVE. Passive roof ventillation does not use any mechanical or external means to circulate air while Active roof ventillation does.
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Roof Flashing
Roof flashing is used around roof penetration points like chimneys but is also used where the roof slope transitions to a different pitch as well as where the roof slope meets an adjacent wall. There are many different types of flashing that are used on roofs for different purposes. They can also be constructed out of different types of materials like alimunium and metal. Roof flashing is another roof component that is designed to help prevent and redirect water flow away from entering the interior of the home
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Roof Gutters and Drainage
Gutters help to collect rain water coming off of the roof and redirect it away from your home or building. They also help to prevent water from entering into homes that have basements as well as help to reduce moisture damage to the home or building exterior. The two most common material types gutters are constructed from are aluminium and galvanized steel and gutter sized do range in size depending on the application.
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Do I Need A Roof Permit?
As a rule of thumb its always a good idea to check with your local government building department before you do anything involving your roof. Your roof is a critical system and needs to be handled by someone who has been properly trained in roofing as well as construction. Generally speaking you will need a permit when you get a new roof and you don't need a permit for repairing damages or performing general maintenance.
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Average Price Of A New Roof
Keep in mind that the price for a new roof will be affected by many factors including size and design of the roof, region, economic factors, and contractor. There are numerous factors that roofing contractors must take into account in order to install a new roof properly but on average you can expect a new roof replacement to be between $10,000 and $15,000. Just because a price is higher or lower than these averages does not necessarily mean there is a problem. Do your due diligence and research as much as you can before agreeing to a price. The last thing you want is to over pay for low grade materials and poor workmanship.
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Wind Damage
The wind is a natural force that can become very powerful under the right conditions. Hurricanes and tornados are two examples of when the weather conditions are just right to create strong wind events but they aren't the only contributors. Florida experiences strong wind very regularly from rain and thunder storm events. These storms generate enough force that, over time, the wind literaly can cause damage to the roof by damaging the shingle covering among other things. One obvious sign of a wind-damaged roof is shingle creasing.
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Shingle Degranulation
Shingles that have degranulated, are degranulating, or are starting to degranulate indicate that the roof shingles have reached, are at, or will reach the point soon where they will no longer be effective and will cease to function properly. When your roof shingles start to show signs of degranulation it is time to start planning on investing in a new roof.
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Shingle Blistering
Roof shingles that are blistered look very similar to and sometimes can be misidentified as hail damage to the untrained eye. Shingle blistering is a good indicator that there is a problem with the roof. Roof blistering can be repaired without having to invest in a new roof but it does depend on factors like the age of the roof shingles and the severity of the damage.
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Nail Pop
Nail pops are very common on roofs and are due to the continuous cycles in temperature along with atmospheric pressure changes. These changes impact the different materials that the roof is constructed from in such a way that over time the roof nails begin to slowly work their way loose. You can typically spot and identify a roof nail pop as the nail works its way up and outward and typically begins to lift the roof shingles up. If you see nail pops it is a good idea to have a roof inspection performed as eventually nails can poke holes in the roof which will allow moisture into the home.
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Hail Damage
Hail damage looks like and to the untrained eye can be misidentified as shingle blistering. Hail damage occurs when the weather produces hail stones that impact the roof with enough force that it fractures the shingle or causes dents in metallic material like metal roofing or roof vents.
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