You may think that you can do your own residential roof repair, but depending on how much work needs to be done, you’re better off hiring a professional to do the work for you. This type of work is actually one of the most dangerous jobs to do even when taking proper safety precautions. It’s hardly a small task to take on your own, and any mistake will only lead to more repairs or even costly accidents.
On the other hand, it’s required by law for professional roofing contractors to comply with Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidelines. This means they follow a set of guidelines that provide clear policies in regards to the professional contractors several responsibilities. These include providing the safest working environment possible and carrying out sufficient risk assessments on every roofing job.
Your residential roof repair should be left to the professionals such as Elevated Roofing LLC, so that you can be confident that your project gets completed smoothly. Only a trusted contractor has enough experience to avoid common roofing blunders, including:
Ignoring Permits
Many types of roof repair will need a local permit, along with knowledge of local roofing requirements and building standards. If you decide to DIY your roofing project, you’ll risk threatening the insurance coverage for your roof, which can lead to other types of trouble in the future.
Creating More Damage During Inspection
When you work with trusted residential roofing companies, they’ll conduct a careful and thorough inspection of your roof. But if you think that it’s a good idea to go ahead and get up on your roof to take a look yourself, this is often not recommended. One wrong step when walking on flashing or certain shingles and you’ll cause more damage and even create leaks. It’s fine to scan your roof from the ground, but it’s better if you stay off the roof if possible.
Not Adhering to Safety Precautions
As we mentioned earlier, it can be dangerous to work on your roof by yourself, as you’ll run the risk of falling due to a lack of special matting or an anti-slip roof coating. Other potential safety hazards include falling roof debris, hammers, or other equipment, which can cause many injuries to people or vehicles. Not taking the right precautions can become costly, especially if you’re planning to rush the job to complete it in a single day or weekend.
Poorly Placed Shingles
You might think that replacing your shingles seems easy to do by yourself, but in truth, there’s actually a lot of expertise involved. If you’re considering placing new shingles over old ones, it can easily ruin your whole roofing system. Other blunders include the use of the wrong nails, wrong number of nails or the wrong overlap between shingle layers. All these can create widespread problems that are costly to fix.
Creating Water Leaks From Subpar Workmanship
This is one of the biggest pitfalls you can make when you DIY your roofing job. You’ll think that you did the job adequately but still end up with a leaky roof. This can cause serious damage not only to your home’s exterior but also its structural integrity. Leaky roofs also leave hidden areas damp which can create mold and rot. In fact, rotting wood compromises the overall structure, foundation, and strength of your roof and walls.
Not Choosing the Right Roofing Materials
Residential roofing companies give expert advice on roofing materials since they’re able to discern which types should be most appropriate for the local environment. If you only choose a material just because you like it best despite not being the most ideal for your area, then it will hardly make your home any more energy efficient. Choosing the wrong type of shingle will also lead it to premature fading and deterioration. The same goes for tiles, as it can easily crack and shatter if it’s not made for the local environment.
Improperly Measuring Slope
If you choose materials that don’t match the slope of your roof, it can make your home more prone to water leaks. If you’re planning to use asphalt, wood, or tile shingles and shakes for your roofing project, make sure you have a minimum slope of four units of rise per twelve units of run.
Poorly Managing the Schedule
Even if you managed to get the best and correct materials for your project and managed to get up the ladder safely without falling off, you’ll still hardly have any clue on how to install the materials properly. For instance, when installing metal flashing in a roof valley, you might not use enough sealant or securing materials, which can lead to buckling and water leaks later on.
The time you’ll have to spend in trying to figure out how it can be done properly can be shortened to just a day or two when you hire trusted contractors who offer excellent residential and commercial roofing repair services.
Going Over Budget
You may think that you’ll save a little cash by doing roofing projects on your own, but like most average homeowners, you won’t have the access to high-quality materials used by professionals at the price they can offer. When you use inferior materials on your roof, it can lead to cracked or damaged roofing tiles and you’ll need to replace them again, which means you’ll end up spending time and money on the project twice. Even if you have the experience, you’ll often end up spending more money in the long-run if you DIY the roofing project.
If you still insist on doing the roofing project yourself, are you really able to deal with anything unexpected during the renovation process? This can include unexpected findings (like asbestos) and inclement weather while your roof is exposed. This is why it’s better to trust a professional in residential and commercial roofing repair services. Call Elevated Roofing LLC today and we’ll get started on your roofing needs right away! You can reach us at (205) 537-9754 or by filling out our convenient online contact form.