According to a recent report, there are more home buyers choosing to skip home inspections right now than ever before. Many of them are deciding to do it to make their offers on homes appear more attractive to sellers.
Skipping a home inspection might put you in a much better position to buy a home. But it could also result in you dealing with a whole host of problems shortly after moving into it.
For instance, you might be forced to live in a home with roof leaks if you don’t have it inspected in advance. A home inspector will usually be able to spot leaks in the roof of a home for you. But if you don’t have an inspection done, they won’t be able to point out roofing leaks to you.
With this in mind, you might be able to practice roof leak prevention by simply having a home inspection done. But there are also some other steps you’ll want to take after moving into a home to stop roof leaks from popping up out of nowhere.
Here is how to prevent roof leaks in your new home.
Schedule a Roof Inspection At Least Once Every Few Years
In order to prevent roof leaks from having an impact on your new home, you’ll need to monitor your roof on a regular basis. Every so often, you should look up at your roof to see what kind of condition it’s in.
You should also take things one step further by scheduling a roof inspection with a local roofing company in your area. Ideally, you’ll want to have a roof inspection completed at least once every few years so that you can find out whether or not you might have any roof leaks going on.
A roof inspection will require a small investment on your part. But that investment could end up saving you hundreds and sometimes even thousands of dollars on your home’s roofing needs. Click here to learn more about one roofing contractor that can assist you with roof inspections and other roof services.
Keep a Close Eye on the Age of a Roof
In addition to having your home’s roof inspected regularly, you should also monitor the age of your roof over the years. You don’t want to keep a roof around for too much longer than its expected lifespan since it’ll increase the chances of roof leaks.
The average asphalt shingle roof is typically going to last for somewhere between 20 and 30 years. Because of this, you’re going to want to start to pay extra close attention to this type of roof when it reaches the 20-year mark.
Other types of roofs, like tile roofs and metal roofs, will last longer than that. But even those kinds of roofs will have expiration dates on them. You should find out how long your specific roof is expected to last and begin to keep a close eye on it once it’s on its last legs.
Clean Leaves, Sticks, and Other Debris Off a Roof
Over time, there will be all kinds of debris that will build up on the top of your new home’s roof. You’ll find that your roof will get covered with things like leaves, sticks, and more.
If you have one or two sticks sitting on top of your roof, you don’t necessarily need to climb up on it right away to remove them. But you should make it a point to limit the amount of time that debris is able to sit on your roof.
If you let debris linger on your roof, it won’t be too long before moisture will begin to get trapped underneath it. This moisture can really wreak havoc on your roof and result in roof leaks if you aren’t careful.
You should, therefore, make it your mission to remove debris from your roof to stop these types of roof leaks from forming. It’s simple enough to clean your roof off and make it last much longer than it would otherwise.
Trim Any Trees That Hang Over the Top of a Roof
Are there trees on your property that have branches hanging over the top of your home? These branches might not seem like they would be too problematic. But they could eventually cause roof leaks to form.
During a bad storm, the wind might cause these tree branches to snap, and they could come crashing down on the top of your home. As long as your roof is in decent shape, the branches shouldn’t be able to do too much damage to them. But they could do some damage and lead to roof leaks.
You should have any tree branches that hang over the top of your home trimmed. You might also want to think about going as far as to remove certain trees from your property if you feel as though they might pose a threat to your home’s roof.
Clean Out the Gutters That Sit Around the Perimeter of a Roof
You might not think that there is any real connection between your home’s roof and the gutters that hang on the side of your home. But if your gutters aren’t in good shape, they can put a strain on your roof and cause roof leaks to show up.
More specifically, you could put your home’s roof at risk if you don’t clean your gutters out. Leaves and other debris might sit in your gutters and make them very heavy. This could cause the gutters to overflow onto your roof when it rains and potentially even lead to water leaking into your home.
For the sake of your roof and your home as a whole, you should get into the habit of cleaning your gutters out at least once every year, if not more often than that. You should always clean them out at the end of the fall since they might have their fair share of leaves in them.
Climb Up Into the Attic to Look for Any Signs of Roof Leaks
If you have an attic in your home, you shouldn’t be shy about climbing up into it to evaluate your roof. You should try to get up into your attic at least once every month or two just to look at the condition of your roof.
When you’re in your attic, you should make it as dark as you can in it so that you’ll be able to see if any sunlight is peeking through in it. If there is, this is a sign that you have a hole in your roof that is going to let rain come through it.
It would be wise to have your roof repaired if you see any signs of roof leaks in your attic. You don’t want to turn a blind eye to these types of leaks at any point.
Stop Small Roof Leaks From Turning Into Big Ones
All too often, homeowners will know that they have small leaks in their roofs and refuse to do anything about them. Even though roof repairs don’t usually cost that much, they’ll put off doing them because of the perceived costs associated with roof repair jobs.
You are going to have to prepare to pay some money to fix a leaky roof. But you’ll be so much better off repairing small roof leaks before they get to be too big rather than letting these leaks spiral out of control.
If roof leaks get to be too big, you might have to repair more than just your roof. You may also need to address water damage that has been done in your home when it gets to that point.
Bottom line: Paying to have small roof leaks repaired is going to be better than paying to have large roof leaks repaired or even your entire roof replaced. It’s why you should suck it up and pay to have repairs done when necessary instead of waiting too long to tackle them.
Arrange to Have a Roof Replaced When It’s On Its Last Legs
In a perfect world, you won’t have to worry about replacing the roof on a home anytime right after you buy it. You should be able to keep the same roof on a home for many years before putting a new one in its place.
But there is going to come a time when you won’t be able to salvage the roof on your home any longer. When you reach that point, you should pull the plug on your old roof and replace it with a new one.
Replacing a roof is one of the most expensive home improvement projects around. You might find yourself in a position where you’ll have to pay well over $10,000 for roof replacement.
But the roof that hangs over the top of your home is one of the most important aspects of it. It provides protection for almost all of the other elements of your home—and it does so for many years on end.
Because of this, you’re going to want to replace a roof as soon as it needs to be replaced to prevent any damage from being done to your home. Replacing your roof is one of the most worthwhile investments that you can ever make.
Maintain a Close Working Relationship With a Local Roofing Company
As of 2022, there are well over 80,000 roofing companies working throughout the country. Most of these companies can provide you with a whole bunch of roofing services, including roof inspections, roof repairs, and roof replacements.
Almost as soon as you move into a new home, you should start to try and establish a working relationship with one of these roofing companies. It’ll ensure that you know who to call on for help the first time that you experience roof leaks or other roof issues.
The last thing that you want to do when you have a problem with your roof is be forced to scramble to find a roofing company. Unfortunately, doing this could lead to you working with a roofing company that isn’t as reputable as you might like.
Instead, you should do your homework on your local roofing companies and figure out which one will be the best option of the bunch. The company that you pick out should have a wealth of experience in the roofing industry. They should also know how to repair and replace all types of different roofs.
When you have a roofing company like this on your side, you won’t ever need to be too concerned about things like roof leaks. They’ll be able to address any and all roofing issues that you might be having so that they aren’t able to cause major problems for you and your family.
You’ll love the peace of mind that will come along with having a great roofing company in your corner from the very beginning.
Don’t Let Roof Leaks Take a Huge Toll on Your Home
If you live in a house for a long time, you’re eventually going to have to deal with roof leaks. It comes with the territory when you’re a homeowner.
But you don’t have to let these roof leaks take a major toll on you. By following all of the steps that we’ve listed here, you should be able to get a grip on roof leaks and move past them without a problem.
Want to score some more great home improvement tips and tricks? Look for them in the other articles we’ve published on our blog.
