What You Need to Know About Roof Replacement

Owning a house is an investment, and few investments are more important to the safety of your home than the maintenance of your roof. When beginning a home improvement project, you should always try to inform yourself as best you can so you can be sure you will get one of the best experiences you possibly can. When focusing on something as big as the literal “roof over your head,” you should keep your ideas grounded by maintaining a few points in mind throughout the process.

  1. Pick out the Materials Beforehand

Any good roofing company will offer you a wide variety of material choices, ranging from shingle roofing, to copper roofing. Different types of materials can offer different aesthetics to houses, but beyond that, some materials work better with certain homes. In colder areas, like Connecticut, where it snows, it is a better choice to have asphalt shingles due to their insulation properties and support against heavy snowfall; whereas, in hotter regions, such as Arizona, roofing material needs to be able to reflect the heat and to provide better air circulation, so the best choice would be clay tiles. Consider your needs before choosing a roof material…even if that one color had been perfect.

  1. Is it Time?

Are you missing shingles? Is there damage or discoloration on a good amount of your roof? Are there water leaks, holes, or mold in your roof? Is your AC or heating bill higher than normal? All of these factors are indications that it is time to replace your roof! Before you decide to completely replace your roof, determine why it is you are doing it. Knowing what you are walking into before it happens is the best way to guarantee your business with the company you choose will have a smooth beginning.

Avoid delaying the process. If you have a cut that gets infected, you don’t delay treatment for it. You act. Replacing your roof should have the same mentality. If you delay the process, it could lead to more expensive problems that need solving, and they will definitely go beyond just the exterior of your house. If untreated, bad roofs can lead to molding, rusting, mildew, and more, which will only add to the expenses you have to pay when you were only hoping to change out the shingles.

  1. Are you Financially Prepared?

Roof replacements are timely projects, which could reveal deeper problems than just the exterior appearance of your home. When looking into roof replacements, do your research and ask about the underlying problems you might encounter once the shingles come off by contacting one of the roofing companies.

Replacing a roof is already one of the costliest upgrades that can be made to a home, so when considering it, be prepared to pay more than the price tag. Roof replacements can range on average, anywhere between $5,000 and $25,000, and that’s only the replacement. If the stripping reveals rotten boards underneath, for example, you can easily add at least another grand in order to replace the wooden structure. Always be prepared for the worst.

  1. Things Will Get Messy

First thing is first: get a contract. Whether you trust your contractor or not, it is always best to play it safe and get a contract for insurance purposes. This allows you to be fully disclosed in anything that is going to happen, and it gives you more control over the total bill. This way, if anything new arises, you must be contacted first before any prices can be raised and new materials bought. Keep the legalities from getting messy by doing this.

Things will definitely get physically messy, though! On top of being extremely noisy, the project will require the complete removal of your roof, as you are probably well aware! When these are removed, contractors often throw the scraps overboard and clean things up after their work is finished. Be prepared for a very messy backyard for however long the experience takes.

Also, be aware that even though the contractors will clean up to the best of their abilities, it is a construction site, and construction sites are dangerous. Always wear shoes outside during the construction, and for at least a month after the contractors leave. There might be overseen nails or pieces of shingles that could slice through your bare feet.

Your house is your baby! Place your baby into the right hands when you decide to hire a professional to replace your roof in order to ensure no issues will come anytime in the near future. Make sure you keep your eyes on the big picture when improving the investment made as a homeowner, and do so safely.