A good place to start, before ever climbing a ladder ( which, by the way, ensure to always use cares when climbing a ladder and have a second person spot you if possible ), you can give your roof an once over from the ground. Use a couple of binoculars to go looking for any plain trouble areas- missing shingles, dark spots, and misshaped lines in the roofing material. Also, while on the ground, check downspouts for shingle granules that may have washed off.

Once you’ve decided to go up to have a better look at your roof, the first thing to search for is missing or loose shingles. Be very careful as you do your inspection! Shingles can be damaged easily, so you have got to avoid stepping on them whenever possible. Being loose isn’t the sole sign of a bad shingle. You need to also look for loss of granulation ( that may reveal the fiberglass mat underneath to UV light ), mold and decay, and curling.

If you have had work done to your roof in the past, there’s a chance that the roofer used tar or a patch to mend any small issues. You may see this during your close inspection. The patch could be a glaring hardened blob, or it could be covered with shingles of a slightly different color than the remainder of your roof. The roofing cement employed in these patches may only last for a few years, so you may additionally want to check these areas from below-in your attic.

Another thing to give a closer look to is any flashing. Flashings are metal pieces used to water-proof spots of the roof where there could be an interruption in the roofing like a skylight, a chimney or smoke stack, vents, or any protruding piping. Things to look for here are tears, buckling or puckering in the material, and looseness. Flashings on chimneys are prone to damage more-so than other places. The rationale is the chimney will settle and shift separately from the house. While looking at the flashings, be sure to also inspect your chimney for any leaning, damaged bricks, and cracked joints.

Some more general things to search for are any indications of sag or unevenness to the roof. Cupping and buckling could be indicators of feeble framing and will be give extra attention. Also take a look at your gutters for rust, and clogs.

If you find any of these issues while checking your roof, it’s best to have a Dallas Roofing repair engineer come out to mend it, instead of try to do it yourself.

Give Your Roof A General Checkup With Dallas Roofing is a post from: Dallas Roofing Pro