Although we are all happy to have a “roof over our heads,” a home’s roof is often among its most underappreciated assets. Your roof plays a vital role in maintaining the integrity and comfort of your home. It keeps rain and melting snow from entering while keeping leaves and pests from doing the same. Also important is the roof’s ventilation system’s role in keeping your home comfortable during our hot summers.
So, as Old Man Winter begins marching away from Champaign-Urbana, now is a great time to schedule a roof inspection to ensure you and your roof are prepared for the coming months.
The Benefits of a Spring Roof Inspection
Spring can be the ideal time to schedule a roof inspection for multiple reasons. First and foremost, winter can be a difficult season for roofs. Blizzards, slowly melting snow, ice dams, and freeze-thaw cycles can damage your roof in ways that do not occur in other seasons, so spring is an excellent time to determine whether damage occurred. As with all roof damage, the sooner you can identify and fix the problem, the likelier it is that you catch the problem before significant damage occurs. The end of winter also means that inspectors can access your roof without concern for snow or ice, and so can the roofing crews that need to repair any damages found during the inspection.
Fixing those problems is essential due to the weather conditions we face in spring and summer. As a homeowner, you want all issues that could allow moisture to enter your home to be repaired before the spring rains, or you will face more significant and expensive problems. Checking the ventilation system is also part of the roof inspection. Ensuring your roof ventilates appropriately will increase your comfort and reduce energy costs during the hot summer months. Of course, you should have your roof inspected whenever you spot signs of trouble, regardless of the season, and it is an excellent habit to check for warning signs visually after we experience severe weather.
In addition, if your last roof inspection was more than one or two years ago, now is the time to schedule an appointment. A lot can happen to a roof in a year or two, so make sure to schedule an inspection this spring if it has been too long since your roof’s last check-up.
The Roof Inspection Process
A roof is a series of systems that work together to protect a house. A problem with one system often leads to problems with one or more of the other roof systems. Below are descriptions of the primary roof systems and issues inspectors will look for while inspecting your roof.
Decking and Frame
When people refer to an older home as having “good bones,” the roof’s decking and framing are among the bones since they are the primary structural elements of the roof. Typically, the framing is the roof’s wooden skeleton, while the decking is the plywood boards that cover the framing. Sagging or leaning roofs are signs of trouble and may indicate that moisture has penetrated the roof and caused materials to rot.
Surface Materials
Perhaps the most common problems found during roof inspections are issues with the surface materials, such as asphalt shingles, tiles, slate, metal sheeting, or rubber compounds. Inspectors check for surface materials that are missing, broken, cracked, discolored, moldy, or show other signs of trouble. Common roofing surface materials vary depending on where you live, but the country and Central Illinois’ most common roofing material is asphalt shingles. These get checked for curling, cracking, dark streaks, and the level of granules remaining on the surface.
Roof Penetrations
A roof can have chimneys, vents, skylights, or roof ceiling fans, each of which is a hole in the roof that requires proper sealing. The inspector confirms the seals are properly fitted and the sealing materials remain intact.
Soffits and Fascia
Homes with eaves that overhang the walls have boards on the underside of the eaves called soffits. The soffits are inspected for their integrity and to ensure their vents or perforations are not blocked. Fascia are the boards that run perpendicular to the roofline between the roof and the soffit. Like soffits, they are inspected for rot and integrity, pest penetration, mold, and other concerns.
Attic
The attic is immediately below the roof and is generally the first part of the house to experience damage due to roof problems. If moisture enters the home, it typically enters the attic first. That means the inspector will review the attic ceiling, floor, and insulation for signs of water damage. The inspection also confirms the venting is not obstructed, there are no signs of pests entering the attic, and light does not come through the attic ceiling.
Ventilation System
The roof and attic ventilation system are critical to your home’s comfort and the long-term performance of its roofing materials. On sunny days, your roof reflects heat into the atmosphere and absorbs some heat into the attic. A visual or functional inspection confirms the active (e.g., attic or whole house fan) or passive (e.g., continuous ridge vent) ventilation systems are in working order.
Interior Ceilings and Walls
When enough water enters the house, the attic floor or insulation cannot absorb all of it, so it trickles or pours onto the ceilings and walls beneath the attic. The moisture may appear as drips or streams during a rainstorm or snow melt, but an inspector often looks for water stains, peeling paint, mold, or sags.
Gutter System
The gutter system inspection confirms the gutters and downspouts are correctly attached to the building. Another critical step confirms that the gutters are not clogged, the gutters do not have standing water or leaks, and that the downspouts are unclogged and drain properly.
Schedule Your Roof Inspection
Your roof plays a significant role in ensuring the comfort and integrity of your home. Like all elements of your house, a roof needs to be correctly maintained and repaired whenever problems are spotted. To ensure you identify potential roofing problems this spring, we recommend scheduling a roof inspection as soon as possible or when winter passes. Doing so will ensure the spring rains stay outside and do not enter your home.
If you live in the Champaign-Urbana area and need a roof inspection or repairs, contact Freeman Exteriors at 217-355-5447 to schedule a free estimate.
