The roof on your home is arguably the most important piece and without proper maintenance and upkeep minor damages can turn into massive headaches. Water leaks, missing shingles, clogged gutters, damaged flashing, high energy bills, attic issues, sagging roof lines, and stains on ceilings or walls are all signs of roof damage you won’t want to ignore. As a homeowner, saving money is always on the forefront of your mind but leaving these signs unattended will surely break the bank and force you to replace your roof. On the flip-side knowing what signs to look out for while wielding some DIY skills, can make repairing your roof an easy task. In this article, we’ll take a look at some DIY tips for roof repairs, how to identify and fix certain issues, and when to know the right time to call in the professionals.
Detecting signs of roof damage can help you stop outside issues before they start to creep inside.
So, let’s start on the inside where its much easier to spot signs of sunlight, wet spots, or dripping water. Additionally, starting at your roofs interior can help you to see any underlying structural issues without having to get up on your roof. From inside your attic, look out for signs of wood damage, heavy air flow, shiner nails (nails that missed the framing member), check flashings, look for mold, and ceiling stains/peeling paint. If you notice any of these problems be proactive, don’t wait for these issues to worsen and become major problems. Next, let’s take a look at the exterior portion of your roof and what signs indicate damage. Lifted/bent/cracked/missing shingles, mildew or moss, visible sagging, water stains, vent defects, granule loss, rusted metal or damaged flashing, discoloration, falling debris, ice dams, damaged gutters, and damaged soffit or fascia are all indicators of roof damage. Being attentive to your roofs maintenance is much more than addressing an on-going, or unresolved issue, its catching these problems before they persist so you can save money and ensure the safety of your home for your family and loved ones.
A damaged or deteriorating roof can possibly lead to a decrease in your homes energy efficiency and high utility bills. Increasingly high cooling or heating bills could be a sign of poor roof insulation. High utility bills could also be indicating that your insulation has water damage. Over time wet insulation will trap moisture causing a slow decay of the entire roofing system, from the decking and all throughout the home itself leading to significant structural damage.
An eave refers to the edge of a roof that sticks out over the home’s side, more commonly called an overhang. During the summer months your air conditioner is primarily battling against the sunlight seeping in from your windows. Well, with a enough overhang on your roof you can combat this issue rather easily. Since we live in the Northern Hemisphere, that means sunlight is primarily to the south of us so if this is an option that interests you, you’ll probably want it installed on the south-facing portion of your home.
Now that you’ve learned to identify some common roofing issues, let’s see how you can begin to address them and hopefully get them repaired by yourself. After assessing any damages to your roof and wanting to fix them yourself you’ll need the right equipment for the job. Before getting up on your roof always make sure you have the necessary safety gear such as work gloves, proper eye protection, a sturdy ladder, roofing shoes, harness, and a tool belt. As for the roofing materials you’ll generally need a dumpster or pickup truck for any loose debris or material from your roof, a hammer, roofing or ring-shank nails, , nail gun, roofing knife, a pry bar, screwdriver, shovel or pitchfork, air compressor and hose, aviation snips, caulk gun, circular saw, pry bar, tape measure, and a level. You should also have a patch kit or appropriate sealant for any leaks or holes that need patching. If you’re working on an exposed area then bring a tarp as well incase any rain or bad weather trickles in during the process.
The most common types of roofs contain asphalt shingles as the outer layer of protection. When harsh weather collides with your roof it can cause your shingles to lift, crack, or tear and this is usually rather noticeable. Here is a DIY three-step process when it comes to fixing the shingles on your roof.
1. Break the seal on the shingle if it is still attached. Asphalt shingles have a specific seal that is used for attaching them together, but when a shingles is damaged you’ll want to break that seal so you can replace the damaged shingle. To do so, you can tap the seal with the backend of a hammer and then gently lift the shingle to break the seal on the shingle above the on you’re replacing.
2. After the seal is broken and the shingle is lifted off remove the area of any dirt or debris including any loose or broken nails.
3. Install the new shingle by sliding it into position, nail into place and then re-nail the overlying shingles wherever other nails have been removed.
The dark horse of your roof is the flashing, this “secret weapon” directs elements such as snow, rain, hail, and ice from critical areas on your roof. Flashing is installed to surround roof features such as vents, chimneys, skylights, and windows. Flashing can get damaged through years of exposure and rapid weather changes and patterns causing them to wrap, break, rust, or bend. Older flashing should be replaced because it can cause a bunch of other issues. To replace your flashing you’ll need to remove the old flashing and then tear up the shingles around it as well. Then remove old caulk and mortar around the edges of the flashing by using a heat gun then followed by a caulking scraper. Last, you’ll want to install the new underlayment, followed by the new flashing. Make sure to install the corner flashing first as it is commonly used around walls or dormers that protrude from the top of the roof. Then comes the kickoff flashing and then finally your new shingles. For a more in-depth look at fixing flashing take a look at this blog here https://northfaceconstruction.com/blog/roof-flashing-installation/. Installing and repairing flashing is considered to be an intricate job even by roofing professionals so this may be a job you might want a roofing professional to do. If you install your flashing poorly it will lead to some pretty heavy consequences such as water leaks.
Roof leaks are another “forbidden area” to work on unless you’re a veteran of the trade. Depending on the size of the leak, where it’s coming from, and the complexity you may want to leave this to the pros as well. However, if you’re confident and feel like taking a stab at it then you’ll first want to identify where the leak is coming from. Vent boots can be an easy target when it comes to water leaks but this metal unit will be located on your roof so unless you’re able to get up on your roof you won’t be able to fix it. After removing a vent boot you’ll need to replace shingles as well so be careful removing these as this process may cause even more damage if done wrong. Fixing a small leak should be a bit more doable when it comes to DIY. If the ceiling of your home has a plastic vapor barrier you can push the insulation away so you can see better and look for flow stains. Water will often flow to any openings in the vapor barrier like a ceiling light. You can also go into your attic on a cold night and if you look at the nails coming through the plywood of your roof they may be white, this means there may be a small leak so all you’ll need to do is take a pair of cutting-pliers and clip the nail. Fixing a roof leak can be a very difficult task for the average home owner so when in doubt make sure to call a roofing expert you can rely on that will explain to you the damage and what the correct solution will be.
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