Sometimes one needs to get up on a roof and clean. There are a lot of reasons that I roof can become cluttered with debris or leaves or any number of pieces of trash that are blown about by the wind or other contributing factors. Keeping the roof of one’s home in good cleanliness and working order is an important part of maintaining any structure.
If the integrity of a roof is compromised for any reason, it can lead to costly maintenance or repairs within the home as well. So, when you maintain a roof and the components that are necessary to do so, gutters, roofing shingles, chimneys and other elements, you are protecting much more than just the immediate roof.
Safety is always a factor when dealing with a roof. Make sure that your ladder is in good working order and any broom or other cleaning device that is being used is the correct tool for the job. Once on the roof, any and all jobs that need attention should be taken care of as soon as possible.
Gutters should be cleaned out and free of debris whenever possible and necessary. The roof should also be checked for any standing debris such as tree branches, leaves, or other trash that might impede water’s course as it runs down the roof towards the gutters.
If need be, we should sweep the roof free of this debris. Sometimes this causes problems for the conditions of the roof, especially if roofing shingles are being employed.
Roofing shingles come in many different materials, but the basic design may be susceptible to damage from the elements or our cleaning efforts.
The best thing to do with shingles is, as they deteriorate, to replace them individually. This will cut down on the continued damage to other shingles or the roof as a whole. That means that the entire roof will not need to be re-shingled as soon. Proper maintenance goes a long way towards the longevity of a roof.
If the shingles on a roof do need to be replaced in mass, the hardware store is the best place to start and ask questions. The budget and the weather conditions of your area will be main factors in determining what material to go with. Wood, steel, ceramic? What is the build of your roof and what kind of nail do you buy to tack the shingles to the roof. Sometimes the answer to such question is not readily available. If it is possible, it is always good to consult or hire a professional in the industry to take care of the project. Sometimes the do-it-yourself approach is not the best idea when it comes to large projects like re-shingling a roof.
For more information on this and other home improvement projects, contact My FI Roofing Contractor.
