Roof Repairs - don't overlook this important maintenance item

This yankee has learned something about roofs from living here in the south. This story starts when a friend of mine (who was born and raised in the south) showed one of my listings and declared that the roof had to be replaced. I said, “What are you talking about, there are no leaks, the shingles aren’t curling it’s just a little stained.” (Staining occurs on a north-facing slope with algae build-up.)

She said, “Yes, but a lot of the granules are washing off.” I said, ”So? That roof is only 12 years old. It has a lot of life left.” She said, “There’s hail damage.” I laughed, “Ha Ha Ha! Where I come from, with New York winters and ice build up, etc., roofs last for ever. Surely a little hail can’t damage a roof...”


Well come to find out, it can! and it did! The heat is brutal and is very hard on roofing materials. The more ventilation you can provide, the cooler your attic will be and therefor, less heat will be trapped and your shingles will not deteriorate as quickly. When shingles are subjected to this brutal heat, they get brittle. When they are hit by hail, the force will cause the granules to wash off and may shatter the shingles. In time, you will have leaks.

So, watch for the tell-tale accumulation of granules in your splash blocks. If there’s been a hail storm in your area, have an expert look at your roof. If there’s damage, you can file a claim with your insurance company. If you don’t know a good roofing company, ask your insurance company to refer someone to you or–contact us. We have dealt with this on numerous occasions both for our own home and our rental properties, but also when helping a seller get their home ready for sale. We can refer you to a good roofing contractor.

But don’t ignore the signs, it will only get worse.

When you have the work done – make sure that the contractor also replaces the boots around any vent stacks – those dry out over time – no sense replacing the roof and not the boots. Also, if you don’t have a ridge vent – spend the extra money and get one – it is the best way to provide good ventilation for your roof. Also, consider getting algae resistant shingles. We did that on our house – time will tell, but our old roof was only 10 years old when it got replaced and the north slope of our roof looked horrible... We’ll see how it looks 5 or 6 years from now. The algae resistant quality comes with a 10 year warranty.

Make sure you know whether or not the workers used toe boards. This is very important. The reason they use toe boards quite simply is to be able to stand on the roof easily while they are working. They take a two by four and nail it through the shingles. I would prefer they didn’t do this – there are other ways to work safely. However, if they do use toe boards, ensure that they calk all the holes with UV resistant calk after they have completed the work. This will ensure that you won’t have any leaks.