Today younger home buyers are entering the market and many others are buying their second house. When deciding on the perfect house for your family you should always have a professional inspector take a look at the property. The inspector has a great wealth of knowledge about home issues, including the roof. Your trusted local roofer can also greatly help in your inspection. When you work with an inspector and a roofer, be sure to look for the following signs of a bad roof job.
Roof Is Not Uniform in Appearance
In many cases you may notice that a roof looks great on one side of the house, but poor on another side. Another common case is mismatching roofing shingles. That happens because the previous owner opted to not replace the entire roof, but instead a section of the roof.
The mismatch in color and material occurs because there was a decision to cut corners in an effort to save on costs. There are thousands of options to select from when you are deciding on a particular shingle type. Additionally, there are hundreds of shingles that will fit a retrograde appearance, matching many shingles that are no longer available.
Missing Underlayment
Identifying missing underlayment does require a close look at the roof. However, the time spent investigating can be worth its weight in gold. That is because of how important the underlayment actually is. Missing underlayment is a big corner to cut.
Underlayment is a paper or felt like material that lies underneath roofing shingles and above the roof sheathing. This provides a critical water proofing barrier. Without this underlayment layer, leaks are almost guaranteed, which means other components might also be compromised. Missing underlayment also contributes to premature aging of the roof. A ten year old roof without underlayment can look like it is already 50 years old.
Improper Attachment Methods
Each municipality has its own building code. In an area like Montgomery, TX, your roof company should be able to identify the type attachment that should be used on a roofing system. In Montgomery you will see hail, high winds, possible tornado activity, and tropical depression activity from storms emanating from the Gulf of Mexico. Negligent methods like using the wrong nail type and the distance between the nails contribute to preventable roof damage, flying debris, increased insurance premiums, and increased repair/replacement costs to the homeowner.
Missing Drip Edge
Drip edges like underlayment are very important to the success of a roofing system. Drip edges are typically pieces of galvanized steel that lay above the underlayment and beneath the shingles at the roof’s edge. The drip edge should extend to just over the gutter. This keeps water flowing down the roof and into the gutter, away from the house. In Montgomery, TX, an area prone to high winds, drip edges keep water from entering the home at the roof’s edge. Water entry at this point can compromise the interior of the house, the entire height of the wall.
Professional roofers can help you inspect any property that you might consider buying. When working with a home inspector, be sure to ask the inspector about these trouble areas. If you are looking for professional roof inspection in Montgomery, or the surrounding Brazos Valley, contact Schulte Roofing.