How To Tell If Your Roofing Job Is Bad
When it comes to home remodeling and repairs, roofing is one of the most expensive and immense projects to be performed. The roof of your home should last for about 2 decades if it was installed properly. Failure to install the roof properly can lead to many costly headaches and frustrations down the road. Some of these include leaks and structural damages. Unfortunately, not all roofing contractors can install a roof the proper way. Below we have listed some common signs in telling if you, unfortunately, received a bad roof installation.
Visual Inspection For Bad Roof Installation
One of the most common, and easiest, ways to determine if your roof was installed properly is by visual inspection. Unfortunately, these signs do not present themselves immediately but after about a year or so, they may become visible. When performing a visual inspection of your roof, be sure to stand on the ground and look up towards the roof. Some of the factors to look for during visual inspection include uniformity of shingles, sagging rooflines, old flashing material, stains on the roof, etc.
Uniformity
When it comes to a uniform roof, you will want to look for damaged or missing shingles, various rates of aging among shingles, and mismatched shingles. If any of these signs are visible, your roofing contractor may have cut some corners to try and save time or money resulting in a subpar roof installation of your home.
Sagging Roofline
As the name suggests, a sagging roofline is when the roofline has a dip or curve and is not in straight alignment. If you notice a sagging roofline on your roof, this is sadly something to be concerned about. A sagging roofline results from the framing or roof decking not being changed during the roof installation process.
Old Flashing Material
Flashing material refers to the thin sheet of metal installed on the roof which is used to prevent leaking into your home at various angles along with the roofing structure. Although there are no code violations with using old flashing material, a qualified and experienced roofing contractor will know that when a new roof is installed, the flashing material should always be replaced, even if the old flashing material didn’t pose any threats of leaking.
Structural Problems With Bad Roof Installation
Generally, structural roofing issues may be hard to spot from the untrained eye. Therefore, it is best to do some research when hiring a roofing contractor and know what to ask your roofing contractor before the work begins. Some of the structural problems of a bad roof that you should be aware of include wrong nail type/ improper nailing techniques, hardware mistakes, and crucial roofing materials missing.
Wrong Nail Type/ Improper Nailing Technique
Using the wrong type of nail or nailing technique can cause some serious issues for the well-being of your home’s roof. The main issue here to be concerned with is leakage. If the nail is not the proper size, type, or grade the shingles may become damaged. If the wrong nailing technique is used the life expectancy of your shingles may deteriorate much faster than it should. For example, if a nail is under-driven, over-driven, or crooked, a leak is very likely along with lost shingles.
Hardware Mistakes
Most times, when people think of a roof, they think of shingles. Although shingles are a crucial part of the roof, there is much more than just the shingles. All of the hardware needed for the roof is just as important as the shingles as they all work in unison. The hardware consists of nails, vents, drip edges, vents, and much more. If there is a mistake in the hardware, your roof isn’t guaranteed to be healthy and free from leaks.
Roofing Materials Missing
If some of the roofing materials are missing there should be a great concern for potential damages to your property. To give an example: if a drip edge is missing from the installation of your roof, you may experience mold, rot, and potential flooding in your basement.
One Last Note to Consider
Given that your roof is significant to the property, it is important to ensure that you are hiring a contractor that is experienced and qualified in the field. Here at All Phase Roofing Services, we put as much consideration into our customer service as we do our roofing materials and we will be here tomorrow to stand by the work we do today! Contact us today for your free quote!
