The warm weather and clear skies of summer are the perfect time to install a new roof, and May to September is the busiest season for roofing companies everywhere.
This means that if you need a new roof but have left off booking a re-roofing job due to uncertainty about the coronavirus pandemic or a desire to avoid making firm plans until you know what the economic situation will look like after things start opening up, you may be tempted to avoid the hassle of booking a professional roofing company during the busiest time of year.
After all, why not just wait until next year, when things will be more predictable and you can get your booking in during spring?
But putting off a roofing job isn’t like postponing other types of renovation and repair. There’s no downside to rescheduling landscaping or a kitchen remodel, but a roof that is no longer keeping out the water can do considerable damage to your property.
In this article, we’ll explore the three main reasons why you shouldn’t postpone the installation of a new roof, and provide some advice for how you can find a contractor who can get the work done as soon as possible.
1. Safety
Roofing is primarily a matter of safety. Your roof plays an essential role in protecting the entire structure of your house, and a damaged or exhausted roof will impact just about every other aspect of your home as well, creating major health and safety risks for you and your family.
When your roof is no longer keeping the water out, a couple of things happen: first, moisture seeps into the attic and starts spreading rot in your roof deck and rafters. From there, it will get into your insulation and, eventually, the main living area of your home.
One of the most common signs of this is wet walls and ceiling drips, both of which indicate that water is starting to flow inside your home. This facilitates the spread of mold, which can cause health and respiratory issues. If the problem gets bad enough, parts of your ceiling may start to collapse, posing a risk to you and to your property.
2. Expense
Perhaps the most obvious reason you don’t wait to get your roof repaired is that all the extra damage described above can be quite expensive to fix.
Re-roofing a standard bungalow costs anywhere between $4000-$40,000, depending on the size, style, and materials used. But if the roofers open up the roof and discover that there is extensive water damage to the roof deck and insulation, then that price is going to rise considerably.
In the worst-case scenario, you may need to replace drywall, insulation, and wiring as well as the roof. Not only does this mean that your routine maintenance job is now a major renovation, but you may also need to move out of the house so the work can be done safely.
If you want to keep costs on your new installation down, the best thing you can do is to make sure that you book your repairs as soon as you notice the following signs of an aging roof:
- Curling shingles
- Damaged shingles
- Shingles that have lost their gravel coating
- Leaks
- Wet walls
- Black mold
Even if you haven’t noticed any of these things, you should check your warranty and find out when it expires. Most roofs will have two warranties, one on the materials and one on the labor. If either is close to expiration or if you haven’t had a new roof installed in more than fifteen years, have a roofing company inspect your roof to see whether it should be replaced.
3. Insurance
Because installing a new roof is such an expensive proposition, most homeowners rely on insurance to cover at least part of the cost. But insurance policies can vary widely, and if your insurer deems that you didn’t take the necessary steps to maintain the property, you may face an uphill battle in getting coverage.
If you are considering getting your roof replaced in the coming year, check with your insurer today to find out the details of your plan, and whether postponing the work will impact the coverage available to you.
After a year of lockdowns and quarantine, the last thing most people want to think about this summer is the humdrum business of home maintenance. But putting off important repair work to your roof can have disastrous consequences, so call a local roofing company today to book an inspection and start planning how you can get the repairs done before winter.
