If you have been reading our latest articles, you would see that we have been talking about getting rid of back mold from your home. And also all you need to know about the renovation of your roof.
For most of you that did not know, yes, there seems to be insurance for your roof. This is because the renovation of the roof is a project that can be pretty costly.
The repair and renovations of the roof are sometimes the highest on a homeowner’s checklist.
This is also because this project is generally handled by professional roofing contractors who have acquired a roofer’s license before working in your area.
As you all know, the problems with your roof are something that you cannot escape because the roof will age as time passes, and you will need to repair it.
To make sure that you can take care of minor roof problems before they escalate into bigger ones in the future, you will have to be on the lookout for these problems from time to time.
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Roofing Problems You Should Look Out For
Here are some of the problems you should be looking out for from time to time on your roof.
You can be checking for these problems on a monthly interval to make you catch any of them on time and deal with them quickly on the spot. Here are the roof problems below.
Leaks
No matter the kind of roof you have installed on top of your house, you would be dealing with a potential problem if you discover leaks in the roof.
Leaks in the roof can be caused by the flashing details that were not appropriately fastened when the installation.
The leaks can also happen when a sound moisture barrier has not been installed under the coping caps that are on the wall parapets.
The leaks can also occur when there is an under-application of adhesive, which causes poor lamination, causing the roof to leak.
So apart from checking the roof for leaks, make sure to check for these to verify that everything is as it should be.
You should check for these, and you will catch a problem in progress and reverse it.
Blistering
Blistering is another roof problem that you should watch out for. Apart from blistering, others like roof ridging, splitting, and surface erosion can lead to more significant roofing problems when you do not attend to them and correct them.
Although blisters do not usually get fixed, they can be attended to when they gain substantial size. There are a lot of factors that can bring about blistering.
These factors are the inadequate attachment of the hot bituminous roof systems, accelerated roof aging, and felts slipping.
Other factors that can cause blistering are dry laps and impaired interplay integrity.
When moisture and air get trapped inside the modified bitumen, roofs can also evaporate, and this can also cause blistering to the roof.
However, this needs to be repaired once it has been able to affect the lap area of the roof.
Damaged Or Worn Out Flashing
The metal flashings of the roof have been built to stand degradation. However, that does not mean that they were designed to last forever.
If the roof of your home was installed more than a decade ago or it has been facing some harsh weather conditions, among other things, you should make sure to check on the metal flashings to verify if they need to be replaced or not.
For a more cautious move, it would be better to replace them outright if the roof has been in place for more than a decade because it is likely that the top has been subjected to harsh weather conditions within that period.
Branches Of Trees
Even when you are careful when tearing down some leaning trees or just cutting off the branches that go to the roof, the high-speed winds will still make the top vulnerable and prone to damage.
The extra pressure caused by falling tree limbs or branches can also cause the roof to sag.
So you always make sure to watch out for the tree branches when you are cutting down a leaning tree or just trimming the stems off to avoid causing any harm to the roof of your home.
Ponding Water
Another issue that most homeowners deal with irrespective of the kind of roof they have installed on their house is ‘ponding water.’
Let us look at an example. When designing a dead-level roof, a slope is usually added with tapered crickets or installed to help avoid the problem of ponding water.
Before you begin repairing your roof, it is advisable to check out the source of the ponding water.
The house’s HVAC units with no condensate drain lines are usually the culprits of such situations.
You should always make sure to have everything inspected before you begin any repairs or renovations on your roof.
It is also highly recommended to check the drains to make sure that there is no dirt, silt, or debris in them.
Blown Off Or Damaged Shingles
Depending on the configuration of your roof, you can lose some of the roof shingles before you even become aware of what had happened.
However, losing shingles can also be caused by the damage caused by extreme weather, which is quite common.
The high winds can pry the roof tiles, and the metal flashings up and destabilize the roof. This can potentially allow water and pests in.
Too much heat from the sun can also cause cracking and breakage as time goes on.
Falling Granules
The asphalt shingles are mostly built with tiny particles designed to absorb the sun’s harmful rays.
These rays are known as UV rays, and they can be pretty harmful to the human body over time.
Once the particles start falling, bald patches begin to appear on the roof, and this should be a sign to you that your roof requires repairs because your granules are falling off.
Splitting
Although your roof may look like a static component of your house, it changes and shifts.
For example, the shingles in the roof can expand when the weather starts warming up, resulting in splitting.
When the shingles keep bumping into one another, they can end up warping the roof entirely.
Damaged Gutters
When there is heavy damage to your gutters or the downspouts, it can also affect your roof.
When the gutters get damaged, they can cause the water to enter your house or soak up the lawn at places where that should not happen.
All you have to do to solve the problem for most of these gutters and downspouts is unclog and reattach them.
However, other gutters and downspouts will have to be replaced due to the amount of damage they have suffered.
This will also prevent them from causing further damage to your roof and home.
When Does Your Insurance Cover Your Roofing Replacement Cost?
We have now seen some of the things that can cause damage to your roof.
Let us now look at the times you can get your insurance company to cover the cost of your roof replacement or repairs.
The insurance companies understand that a good roof protects your house and your properties, which can help prevent home insurance claims from their customers.
However, they can still deny you an insurance claim for your roof.
Most insurers will approve insurance claims for your roof’s damage or its replacement in some situations.
We all know that although everybody can seek an insurance claim for the renovation of their roof.
It is still the responsibility of homeowners to make sure that their roofs are always in good condition by watching out for any sign that shows that the top needs repairs and dealing with it on the spot to prevent any serious problems later on.
When you already know how insurance companies deal with issues concerning the roof of houses, it will help you to avoid paying hefty liabilities.
Insurance Coverage Restrictions
Most insurance companies will not offer you insurance if your roof is more than 20 years old unless they inspect the top, while others will not even bother with such a roof.
So if an old one needs to be replaced, the insurance company will reimburse the homeowner with cash equivalent to the value of the roof after 20-plus years.
Some other insurance policy exclusions will be the neglect of the roof and lack of proper maintenance for the roof, use of some expensive roofing materials for the top such as slate, and roofs that have more than two layers of roofing materials.
What Insurance Companies Will Cover
The homeowner insurance protects your house’s structure from damage caused by fire, vandalism, and the acts of nature such as hurricanes, snowstorms, and tornadoes.
The insurance cover includes the roof of the house as well. However, this will depend on the parameters of the insurance cover and the age of the top, which can exclude damages caused by wind, rain, and hail.
However, a tree toppling on the house during a windstorm can get you the cost of roof repair from the insurance company.
Filing A Roof Replacement Insurance Claim
When something happens to your roof, your insurance company may decide to file an insurance claim for your will.
It usually depends on the kind of damage that has been done to the top and the policy of the insurance company.
When you go to file an insurance claim for your roof, you should do the following:
- Give your insurance company a call to determine what the insurance policy covers.
- Compile many documents, along with a copy of your house’s current insurance policy, the home inspection reports, and receipts that you collected when your roof got repaired. You can also add before and after photos of your roof. You can also add your thought about keeping something like that for the future.
- After that, you can arrange a convenient time for an insurance claims adjuster to come and inspect the damage that has been done to your roof.
Conclusion
Since your home is your primary place of residence, it is only fitting that you make sure to keep it in good shape all the time.
Whenever you are doing some inspection around the house, you should not forget the house’s roof. When a home has a damaged roof, the home is not secure either.
So once you notice any damage to your roof, you should make sure to find an experienced and trustworthy roofing contractor to get the job done in an exemplary fashion.
However, you should make sure to collect quotes from several roofing contractors before you settle on one to take care of the roof repairs and replacement.
The company you hire to take care of the roofing job should also offer warranties on the materials that have been used and the installation of those materials.
This is because you can view your new roof as an investment you have made, and just like every investment in the world, we expect it to get higher and higher or lower and low.
