A house that’s sitting vacant can be extra vulnerable to some types of damage. For instance, if nobody is living there, who will notice a slow drip in the plumbing or the skittering sounds of rodents in the attic? If leaks and infestations go unnoticed, they could cause much more damage than usual. The same goes for roof problems.
Here are some of the roof problems you’ll need to check for (or have a professional check for) if you want to buy a home that’s sat vacant for some period of time.
The right choice of roofing materials is as important as a perfect architectural design for your home. Your roofing materials can accentuate the effort you put into the construction and decoration of your home.
For this reason, you need to choose correctly because a wrong choice can affect the structural integrity and the overall look of your home. Below are factors to consider when selecting roof materials for your house.
Roof Slope
You should pay attention to the slope or pitch of the roof that you choose. Pick roofing design and materials with a medium pitch to drain rainwater quickly if you live in an area that receives heavy rainfall. If you live in a hot region, you can pick a fairly flat-pitched roofing style and materials.
Should you get a new roof this summer? If you have plans for a home upgrade, take a look at what you need to know about summertime roof replacement.
What Are the Pros of Summertime Roof Replacement?
Each season has pros and cons of roof replacement timing. With the warm weather here at last, you may want to consider a summertime roofing installation service. Before you make a decision, explore the benefits of a professional installation within the next few months. These include:
Choosing your roofing shingles can be a unique styling experience. Although you do have to consider practicalities like reflectivity, price, and warranty, the visual appearance of your roof is also very important. The right roof can go a long way toward turning a house into your dream home.
Here are some tips for choosing the right style of fiberglass shingles for your home.
Look at Your Priorities
What’s the backstory behind your decision to replace your roof? What’s the primary thing you hope to gain? Are you transforming a new home into a dream home, or are you fixing up your old family home to go on the market? A hard look at your priorities can be a vital first step when deciding on a style.
If you plan to replace your home roof this spring, then you should choose a roof that is not only attractive, but that also suits the unique needs of your family.
If you are tired of your sky-high home cooling bills in the summer or have difficulty keeping the top floors of your home as cool as your first floor, then you should choose a new roof that helps keep your home as cool as possible during the summer to help lower home cooling bills or encourage an even temperature throughout your home during the hot summer.
Read on to learn two tips for choosing a new roof that keeps your home cooler in the summer.
Roof pests come in many forms. A nest of raccoons is easy to notice, while a more sinister influx of termites may not become evident until they’ve eaten thousands of dollars of your home. But whether the size of the infestation (and of the pests themselves) is large or small, you’ll want to catch it as quickly as possible. So you’ll need to check for pests regularly.
Here are some parts of your roofing system that are likely to be attacked by pests as well as what signs you’ll want to look out for.
1. Vent Flashing
The spot where an exhaust vent exits your roof can be a popular spot for raccoons and squirrels to attack. One reason is that the warm air coming out through the vent alerts them to the fact that if they get inside, they’ll find a warm spot to live.
Tightening your building envelope means you’ll need to close up gaps, beef up insulation, and otherwise shore up your home’s defenses against the outside environment. Your home’s building envelope consists of anything that keeps the inside in and the outside out. The more insulated and less drafty your home’s components are, the better your envelope is.
As you can imagine, your roof and attic are a large part of your home’s building envelope. In summer, you have to consider how to keep out the sun’s excess heat, but in winter, keeping in your heated air is the big issue. Here are some ideas on how you can upgrade, improve, and supplement your roof and attic with this in mind.
One of the first decisions you need to make when selecting a new roof is the color. Your color decision can be used to guide all other decisions, including which shingle material to use. There is no exact science to roof color selection, but there are a variety of different considerations to keep in mind so that you pick a color you can live with.
Color Balance
You can begin narrowing down your color choices right away by realistically assessing the options in contrast to the dominant colors on the rest of your home.
How long your roof will last depends on the material it’s made out of. The National Association of Home Builders says to expect roofs with asphalt shingles to need replacement after a life expectancy of up to 20 years. Fiber cement shingles will last about 25 years, and slate, copper, and concrete roofs have the longest life expectancy at around 50 years.
No matter what material your roof is made of, however, if you don’t take proper care of your roof you’ll likely end up needing major repairs or a full replacement before it reaches its full lifespan. Here are a few roof maintenance tips to help you avoid this scenario.
Your roof is perhaps the most important part of your house. Your house, its contents, and the people who reside in it all need the roof for protection. As important as the roof is, most homeowners don’t think much about it unless something goes wrong.
When something does go wrong, homeowners are often surprised to learn the homeowners insurance policy they have paid faithfully for years may not cover them. Here are three commonly asked questions about your roof and your property insurance.
A house that’s sitting vacant can be extra vulnerable to some types of damage. For instance, if nobody is living there, who will notice a slow drip in the plumbing or the skittering sounds of rodents in the attic? If leaks and infestations go unnoticed, they could cause much more damage than usual. The same goes for roof problems.
Here are some of the roof problems you’ll need to check for (or have a professional check for) if you want to buy a home that’s sat vacant for some period of time.
Choosing your roofing shingles can be a unique styling experience. Although you do have to consider practicalities like reflectivity, price, and warranty, the visual appearance of your roof is also very important. The right roof can go a long way toward turning a house into your dream home.
Here are some tips for choosing the right style of fiberglass shingles for your home.
Look at Your Priorities
What’s the backstory behind your decision to replace your roof? What’s the primary thing you hope to gain? Are you transforming a new home into a dream home, or are you fixing up your old family home to go on the market? A hard look at your priorities can be a vital first step when deciding on a style.
Tightening your building envelope means you’ll need to close up gaps, beef up insulation, and otherwise shore up your home’s defenses against the outside environment. Your home’s building envelope consists of anything that keeps the inside in and the outside out. The more insulated and less drafty your home’s components are, the better your envelope is.
One of the first decisions you need to make when selecting a new roof is the color. Your color decision can be used to guide all other decisions, including which shingle material to use. There is no exact science to roof color selection, but there are a variety of different considerations to keep in mind so that you pick a color you can live with.
How long your roof will last depends on the material it’s made out of. The 
Your roof is perhaps the most important part of your house. Your house, its contents, and the people who reside in it all need the roof for protection. As important as the roof is, most homeowners don’t think much about it unless something goes wrong.
