It’s the middle of winter and with winter comes snow. While this winter has been exceedingly dry in the Northern Virginia area, that doesn’t mean it isn’t affecting the roof. What’s wrong with the roof, you might ask? It depends. For some, it’s mold and algae streaks on it. For others, it’s missing or curling shingles. But it’s no big deal, you can always repair it later, right? Wrong. Roof repair is essential to your home and failing to repair the roof can lead to dire consequences. What might they be, you might ask? Here’s a list of problems that are associated with a damaged roof.
Leaks
The most important sign that a roof is in need of repairing is a leak. Leaks generally mean that water is seeping through the structure and is reaching into your home. While leaks may start out small, they can quickly grow to be a major problem. This includes structural damage, mold growth, and even more water getting into your home. So if you see a leak in your house, check to make sure if it’s the roof causing a problem and call a roof repair contractor if it is.
Mold, Algae, and Moss
Speaking of mold, mold is another problem that comes with not repairing your roof for a long time. Mold is caused by increased moisture in an area on the roof, as mold loves to grow in hot and moist climates. With the mold can come algae, lichen, and moss, photosynthesizing plants that not only look ugly on your roof, but can also cause structural damage for those who aren’t taking the initiative that is roof repair. Mold can pose as a health hazard as well, especially to those with respiratory problems. While it may seem better to just clean the mold off yourself, it tends to come back worse than ever, so it’s better to get the thing replaced by a roof repair contractor.
Higher Energy Bills
Now you might be thinking, what does a roof have to do with my energy bills? Plenty as it turns out. If a roof has a bunch of holes in it, it can allow cold air to seep into your house and thus there is a need to raise the temperature, which can lead to higher heating and electric bills. Not only that, but not repairing your roof kills the insulation, which can make it even colder. It’s hard to pinpoint where in the roof the cold air is coming from, so getting a roof repair contractor is best so they can assess the damage.
Incoming Pests
There’s nothing more annoying than finding a chipmunk in your house, practically ruining your furniture and eating everything. You might be wondering how the little critter even arrived in the first place. If the roof has large enough holes, it can attract bugs, rodents, and other small animals into the house. This can lead to sleepless nights because something is causing things to go bump in the night. Not only that, but it can lead to your home getting wrecked, whether they attack the furniture or cause even more holes in the roof. After having pests in your house for so long, it may seem tempting to just get a cat to hunt the little critters out.
Burning Money
Obviously roof repair and replacement costs money. This might kill your desire to actually get your roof fixed and cause you to procrastinate, putting it off until the damage gets to be too much. But not having a roof repaired can cost even more money. Like the increasing of energy bills, you might have to pay for “little repairs” that is fixing a leak, nailing some shingles on yourself when the roof is missing shingles, or even chasing out the aforementioned pests that crawl into your house. All this can add up significantly and you will soon find yourself with a much more costly roof repair, or even an entire roof replacement which costs even more money. It’s better to call a roof repair contractor as soon as you notice a problem with your roof.
Structural Collapse
In most extreme cases, your roof can die on you. No, it is not alive, but the roof can collapse and become a danger to everyone in the family. With a collapsed roof or sagging roof, you might notice that the structure of your home isn’t so sound anymore and that other parts of the house can quickly deteriorate. To avoid this worst case scenario, it is better to get roof repairs done before anything remotely bad happens.
Call Your Local Roof Repair Contractor Today!
There are many problems you can face when not repairing a roof in time. As listed, all this damage can add up and really hurt your wallet. Roof repair may seem like a hassle, but it’s actually important. It’s best to call in a trusted roof repair contractor to fix your roof as soon as possible, otherwise you’ll be left with more damages to your home and less money to spend overall.