Common Residential Roofing Mistakes - and How to Avoid Them

Many homeowners take a sense of pride in their home—if something is wrong, they want to fix it. With many household tasks, such as yard maintenance or relatively quick home repairs, this attitude is a great one to have. However, when it comes to your home's roof, oftentimes the best action you can take is to call a professional. We find that common residential roofing mistakes stem from homeowners attempting to tackle a task that would be better handled by a professional.

Mistake #1: Trying to repair your roof yourself. Before you even consider handling a roof repair on your own, ask yourself this question: Should you be on your roof? Simply navigating around a roof with varying peaks and valleys can be extremely dangerous. Second, roofing professionals use a special extension ladder intended for roof work; most homeowners have what is known as an A-shaped ladder. Finally, without the trained eye of a professional to determine the problem and the best solution, you cannot be confident that you are accurately handling the roof repair. Even if you attempt to fix an area of missing or damaged shingles on your own, you may end up ultimately calling in a professional roofer if the job doesn't go well. You can save time and money by calling a professional first.

Mistake #2: High pressure washing your roof to remove black streaks. Taking a hose, or worse a pressure washing machine, to your roof is not a good idea for a homeowner. While you might be tempted to pummel black algae streaks with a stream of high-pressure water, this application of high pressure will likely cause more damage to your roof than you might think. If your roof's shingles are algae ridden, consider calling a local pressure washer to handle the job with a safe, low application of pressure or have damaged shingles replaced by a professional roofer.

Mistake #3: Not ensuring proper attic ventilation. Unlike the past two mistakes, this one actually occurs during your new roof installation or total roof replacement. If your roofing contractor doesn't mention the importance of proper attic ventilation—which they certainly should—make sure to ask. If your attic isn't properly ventilated during the roofing process, your roof's structural integrity is compromised and its lifespan dramatically reduced. Not to mention, an improperly ventilated attic will increase your home's air conditioning bill and potentially worsen asthma or allergies for residents of your home.

Whether you are planning a new roof installation or need to complete a repair, we recommend always consulting with a roofing professional. If you are in the Northeast Ohio area, please don't hesitate to contact RJK Construction. We're here to answer your questions and deliver the highest quality roofing services.