After years of your old roof leaking, creaking, and costing you a ton of extra money in utility bills every month, you’ve finally made the investment in a new roof, and you couldn’t be happier. However, at the first sign of rain, what happens? Your roof leaks badly, your home starts getting soaked, and you can’t seem to reach your contractor to request an immediate repair. Sadly, a brand new roof can still fail, resulting in serious damage to your home and frustration and anger for you.
You just invested thousands of dollars into your new roof, and you expect it to work with few issues. Here are four reasons why a brand new roof might still fail. And, more importantly, how you can prevent this from happening in the first place.
- Poor Installation: Premium-quality materials from the best manufacturers won’t do much to protect your home and family if they’re not properly installed. In fact, proper installation is, without question, the most important part of any roof installation. As such, choosing a contractor for your roof replacement should not be done lightly, and you should think twice before automatically signing with the cheapest bid you receive. A low-cost contractor usually can’t provide you with the guarantees that an experienced, well-reviewed expert can. Before hiring a contractor, ask to see their licenses, find out if they’re fully bonded and insured, and ask for references from former clients. If a contractor can’t produce these things, you should steer clear from entrusting your roof remodel to them.
- Inadequate Ventilation: Your roof should be tightly sealed to keep the rain out and airflow to a minimum, right? While this is true, attic ventilation is actually extremely important, and any high-quality roofing contractor will keep this in mind while doing your roofing replacement. Without proper ventilation, the temperatures in your attic can soar to 130 degrees or higher during summer months, making your house immensely more difficult to cool. Conversely, during the wet winter months, inadequate ventilation makes your attic prone to growing mold or mildew should any water leak in. Make sure your contractor is prepared to address your attic ventilation issue while performing your roof replacement; not after the fact when you have to call them back out again.
- Skimping on Materials: Does your contractor seem reputable and have the documents to back it up but still seem far less expensive than everyone else? If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. In many cases, these contractors are planning on trying to replace your roof while going extremely light on the materials needed to do so. They figure they can keep costs low and get the job done faster by simply stretching the materials to their limits and using as little as possible for the job. However, this doesn’t usually end well for homeowners. Skimping on things like shingles and underlayment can cause glaring issues in a brand new roof, and even quickly create leaks and other major issues. Choose a contractor who will do the job properly; a contractor who prioritizes labor and materials over the idea of being a few hundred dollars cheaper.
- Improper Flashing: Flashing is the seal your roofer places around your chimneys, vents, and other openings to prevent them from becoming leak hotspots. These openings are areas where holes have been placed in your roof; and, unless they’re properly covered and protected, they could quickly become the source of devastating leaks that cause immense damage. Many less-reputable contractors will simply use caulk to seal these areas, which continual exposure to the elements will eventually cause to crack and break down, allowing water to enter the home. Make sure proper flashing materials are used so you don’t have to worry about your roof for decades to come.
Want to have your roof replaced by a reputable, trustworthy roofing contractor with more than 30 years of experience? Contact T-Town Roofing today at (918) 212-8184 to request a free estimate!