If you’re looking to keep your home in top condition, it’s important that you look beyond what you can immediately see around you and keep an eye out for problems with one of the most important parts of your property – the roof!
A well-maintained roof is key to ensuring that your home is protected all year round, as roofs that have started to deteriorate become far less effective at keeping out leaks and draughts and keeping in the heat.
As we approach the end of the summer, it’s crucial that you ensure that your roof is still an effective defence against the harsh temperatures that the winter months bring with them. To identify whether or not your roof news repairs or, in some cases, replacing entirely, it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with the signs that your roof may be deteriorating.
Here are just a few signs that it might be time to call in the professionals and protect your home with a new roof.
Your Bills Are Rising In Price
If you’ve started to take note of a sudden change in your energy bills, namely that they appear to be getting higher each month without your energy use increasing, it may be a sign that your roof isn’t up to the task of keeping the heat within your home.
Your bills should stay relatively unchanged throughout the winter if your roof is keeping in the heat as it should do, so rising bills tend to be the first warning signs of some developing problems at the top of your home. Having said that, feeling the need to turn up the heat much higher and more often than during previous winters could also be a sign of damage.
Of course, this may be down to another cause, such as a problem with your boiler or the plumbing within your home. These are much easier problems to identify, so we’d advise double checking these areas first. However, if everything is ticking over fine with these appliances, we’d look into having your roof repaired and, depending on the scale of the problem, replaced.
You Have Never Had A New Roof Installed
If you’ve been living in your home for over a decade and have never had a roof replacement or are unaware of when the previous owners of your property last replaced the roof, it may indicate that your roof is ready to be switched out for a new one.
A durable and well-installed roof should last you for several decades, with some roofing materials lasting up to fifty years. However, roofs are subjected to no shortage of harsh weather conditions during that time, so we do sometimes have to accept that this wear and tear will eventually lead to its deterioration. It may be that the time has simply come for a replacement.
This is likely the case if you’ve found yourself having your roof repaired more frequently than you’d expect to or if faults seem to be appearing rather often.
You’ve Noticed Loose Tiles
If you’ve found yourself discovering smashed or fallen tiles on the ground outside your home after a night of harsh weather, this is a worrying sign that your roof is deteriorating.
Furthermore, any roof which seems to have tiles coming loose on more than one occasion may be a serious hazard – at best, you could see some damage to your home or any cars around your property and, at worst, you could be putting those on or passing by your property in some serious danger should a tile suddenly come loose and fall on them.
If you’ve experienced this for yourself, be sure to get in touch with a roofing expert as soon as you can.
You’re Experiencing Leaks
Noticed signs of leakages in the upper levels of your home? There may be some damage to your roof that needs urgent attention.
At best, leaks are inconvenient and need to be monitored closely whenever the weather takes a turn for the worst, a fairly common occurrence in the UK. However, leave a leak unrepaired and you may be facing some much more serious issues, such as damp, electrical faults and even structural damage – some of which you may be unable to fix effectively.
Leaks will always get worse over time, so if you’ve noticed them occurring within your home, it’s a sign that your roof needs some urgent attention.
You’re Selling Your Property
Roof replacements consistently top lists ranking the most effective pre-sale home improvements based on investment vs. return on sale – in fact, it’s estimated that a new roof may add up to 63% onto the value of your home.
This will vary from home to home, though you’re almost certain to find the value of your home increase after a roof replacement. It’ll also be very appealing to potential buyers and may lead to a faster sale.
Get In Touch Today
Roofing is just one of the services that we offer here at Wright Construction, with our experienced team of construction experts able to carry out roof repairs, installations and maintenance to a consistently high standard. If you’ve noticed any of the signs above and would like to call on a professional to help, get in touch today.
Whatever your roofing or construction query, we’ve been helping clients across Chesterfield improve their homes for years – and we’re more than happy to help you, too!
