3 Things NEVER to DIY on Your Home Roof

Do-it-yourself (DIY) home projects are all the rage today, as evidenced by the number of home improvement stores and DIY television series. If you’ve tackled different DIY projects around your home, you might be tempted to try repairing the roof, too. In reality, there are only a few roof-related chores that you should handle yourself, like:

• Walking the perimeter and doing a visual inspection of the roof from the ground to look for missing or damaged shingles, tiles or flashing, or areas bare of granules.

• Cleaning the gutters, making sure they’re in good shape and properly attached, as well as inspecting for fascia/trim damage.

• Heading up to the attic to look for signs of water leaks and stains on the underside of the roof sheathing.

Roof Repairs Best Left to Professional Local Roofers in Charleston

If you’re like most homeowners, you’ll call a professional to replace your roof or make major repairs if it has significant storm damage. To protect your roof from unintentional damage and for your personal safety, you should never attempt these three other types of repairs as well:

• Fixing minor leaks. The origin of minor leaks is often difficult to trace, because water travels. That means that the actual spot where water enters through the roof can be a good distance away from where it shows up inside a home. Professional roofers not only have the skills and experience to locate a leak source, they know how to repair all types of leaks correctly to stop further water infiltration.

• Repairing or replacing flashing. The flashing that’s in place around penetrations like a chimney, plumbing vent pipes or skylights and in the valleys plays a vital role in keeping your roof water tight. If you lack experience in how to properly install flashing, you can make a roof leak worse and cause additional interior damage.

• Replacing damaged/missing tiles or shingles. Nailing down a few new shingles sounds easy, but you can worsen a leak if they’re not installed correctly in relation to the surrounding shingles. If you have a tile or slate roof, you can accidentally break or crack the material as you walk across it to fix another area. Plus, if your roof is still under warranty, you can void your coverage by making your own repairs.

 

If you need the services of expert local roofers in the Charleston area, contact us at Tri County Roofing.

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