Roofs of any age can suffer from leaks and roof damage. ProMaster of Cincinnati shows how roof maintenance and periodic roof repair can extend the life of your roof. In this four part series, Don Kennedy, President of ProMaster Home Repair & Handyman of Cincinnati uses his own roof repair story as an example. Here’s your roof repair overview:
Roof Repair Video
My Roof Repair Story
The other day I woke up and noticed several rows of shingles lying on my back deck. Upon further investigation, I discovered that an entire section of my roof shingles had departed the house. I was surprised, as my roof is only 4 years old!
Broken Roof Shingles
Nevertheless, I thought this incident would make for a great roof repair video. Little did I know I would discover more problems with my roof than just a few missing shingles. While my wife and I aren’t happy to learn that much of our four year old roof was installed incorrectly, at least my problem will provide some excellent instruction and help for you!
My roof illustrates three critical principles to follow to prevent a major roof leak or expensive roof repair. I’ll cover each of those these principles in future articles here:
Roof Repair Causes
Roofing is one of those home improvement purchases that I find homeowners errantly treat as a commodity. Often times they will get multiple bids, attempt to compare type of shingle and warranty, then go with the cheapest price. Such buying behavior lends itself to headaches and higher total cost to the homeowner over the lifespan of the roof.
I’m secretly hoping you don’t listen to what I’m about the say here. For roof repair companies like mine make their living off of small jobs like fixing roof leaks and water damage from poor quality roof installations. (More on this subject in my article, Home Improvement’s 7 Deadly Sins)
If you want to avoid the nightmare of a troublesome roof, consider the following thoughts.
Why Roof Repairs are Common on New Roofs
Roofing is hard work and it doesn’t pay well. It requires little training and skill and is generally performed by low-wage labor. Like some other manual labor trades, it attracts transient workers, or individuals not normally employable in other places. Many of these workers have criminal backgrounds or drug addictions that make roofing the only available means of employment. While I’m not intentionally criticizing these people for earning a living (it is better than stealing or not working) the simple reality is that they aren’t a demographic of folks who demonstrate high standards for themselves or what they do.
ProMaster of Cincinnati Performing Roof Repairs
In addition, the roofing industry is highly commoditized because it is easily priced on materials and square footage. The building boom of the last 20 years combined with the rash of insurance-related disasters increasing demand placed tremendous pressure on roofing contractors to emphasize production over quality. Consequently, while many of the roofing materials have improved, most modern residential roofs are inferior in both water protection and longevity due to the poor installation quality.
Consequently, price pressure in roofing drives down product quality. While a roof may look fine from the ground and even pass a visual inspection, the precision and technique with which the roof components are installed is critical for the performance and longevity of the roof. Sadly, new roofs today are riddled with installation defects that lead to leaks and roof failures well before their intended lifespan is up.
My roof is one such example. Despite having a poorly installed roof, it isn’t feasible to tear it off and start over. It is only 4 years old and at this point, can be salvaged with targeted repairs and maintenance. In the video embedded in this article, I’ll explain what is wrong with the roof and how we’re going to fit it. But there are three principles we can learn from my roof that apply to your roof, so read the following articles to learn more.
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