Leaky Roof Tips From Your Vancouver Roofing Contractor

In Vancouver, it seems like we have two seasons, wet and dry. While the summers in the city are glorious, they are all too quickly replaced by a long, rainy winter. The rain, of course, makes the city lush and beautiful, but it also comes with its challenges, especially for home owners.

Owning a home in a rainy city means diligent home maintenance and care, especially when it comes to roofing. Without the proper care for a roof, leaks can all too easily happen, and the damage from a leaking roof can be astronomical. If your leaky roof gets to the point where water is dripping inside your home or commercial building, it means that water has probably been accumulating for quite some time.

A leaking roof can cause endless headaches. By the time the signs of a leak appear, the damage can be extensive, ruining not only furnishings, draperies, walls and carpets, but structural parts of your home as well. A leaky roof might affect your chimney and fireplace, exterior siding or even the structural foundation of your home.

But a leaky roof, even in a rainy city, is not inevitable; there are plenty of preventative measures to take to ensure that your roof will remain strong and in tact for many years. A homeowner can do regular visual inspections by taking stock of the appearance of the roof, especially after a storm or heavy rainfall. If it looks like shingles have come loose or if debris has fallen and caused damage to an area of the roof, it’s a good idea to call a professional to help assess what the next step is.

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While some home owners are more handy than others, it’s important to know one’s limits, especially when it comes to roof repair. Replacing a shingle or two might be within one’s repair wheelhouse, but when it comes to larger jobs, calling professionals like our roofers at Taves Roofing is the best thing you can do for your home and for your own personal safety.

Again, only if one is skilled, safe and confident with small roof repairs, other things that handy homeowners can do to prevent a leaky roof include putting in new caulking around skylights and chimneys; ensuring that the chimney is stable and that cracked bricks or old, dried mortar is replaced; keeping the attic’s insulation up to date and properly ventilated; cleaning and repairing gutters after storms and after the leaves have fallen; and pruning any trees whose limbs might interfere with the roof.

If a homeowner is going to attempt their own maintenance, it must be kept in mind that safety comes first. Solid ladders, proper equipment, and a thorough knowledge are must haves.

Most leak prevention measures that are best left to professionals, though. For one, annual roof inspections will help identify any problem areas and the roofers will be able to offer solutions on how to fix problems before they get out of control.

Especially as roofs age, annual inspections become more important. A roofer will be able to check for structural issues with the proper tools and measurements. If a leak has started, a trained roofer will be able to find the source and offer repair solutions. Remember, the longer the leak goes untreated, the worse the problems will be and the higher the cost to fix it in the end.

At the end of the day, we would all love to solve all of our home maintenance problems, but sometimes things are best left to the pros. When it comes to roofing, there are measures you can take to prevent leaks, and one of the best ways is an annual inspection by professional roofers like we are proud to have at Taves Roofing. If you want to book an inspection for your home, don’t hesitate to call, our friendly staff is standing by to help.