Your home is an investment. Most business owners already know why roof maintenance is essential: their roofs protect their investment in the business. But for some reason, homeowners seem to ignore the industry’s lessons. These five reasons may help you better understand the wisdom of regular residential roof maintenance.
1. Extend
Proper, regular maintenance will extend the life of your roof, no matter its current condition. Even getting a few extra seasons out of a failing roof — by conscientious maintenance, cleaning, and waterproofing — can give you the time you need to arrange roof succession, financing, and scheduling.
Neglect — from a lack of knowledge, money, or interest — is as destructive to a home’s roof as a major storm. Years of neglect can pile up, leading to roof leaks, structural deficiencies, or insidious mold.
The cure for neglect is not to leap to immediate roof replacement (though it may be a future remedy). Start modestly with a call to your nearby residential roofer. Get a site visit and a full assessment of your roof’s condition. Even a single visit for a roof repair can buy you a few more months of usable life for a failing roof.
Better, of course, is continuous, regular maintenance. Your local roofer develops an understanding of your roof over time, focusing on potential weak spots. Each visit strengthens the roof and adds time before a complete roof tear-off and replacement is needed.
2. Save
You will save tremendous amounts of cash over time by making small annual or semiannual investments in regular roof maintenance. Let’s suppose your northern New Hampshire house has a roof of 2,000 square feet, which is typical for a single-family home.
Such a theoretical roof may cost around $10,000 to replace. If you have no maintenance performed and get 10 years of life out of it, the cost is $1,000 a year; then you need to plunk down another $10,000 to buy another roof for 10 years. Total investment for 20 years of your roof: $20,000.
But if, by investing a few hundred dollars in maintenance visits, you can get 20 years’ life from the original roof, your per-year cost drops:
- $10,000 replacement cost
- $2,000 maintenance costs
- $12,000 total investment
- Spread over 20 years
- $600 per year cost
You have saved $8,000 over the life of the roof! These numbers are simplistic and do not reflect current costs but are helpful for comparison purposes. A frank discussion with your neighborhood roofer can help you get accurate numbers for your home.
3. Warranty
Roof warranties are often ignored by homeowners. They seem flimsy, full of tiny print, and incomprehensible. But a roof warranty is worth real money. The manufacturer of the roofing materials warrants, or insures, that the materials put down by a qualified installer are not defective. If they are defective, the manufacturer (not you, not your insurance company, not the roofer) will replace or repair your roof for free.
Only, you have to show a record of careful roof maintenance. You cannot neglect your roof. You cannot ignore signs of roof leaks, loose flashing, and damaged rubber boots around sanitary stacks. You cannot hide neglect. One quick inspection by a manufacturer’s representative will reveal a neglected roof, and the warranty will be voided.
Keep your roof’s warranty intact. Many of the best warranties cover the materials and the contractor installing them. This means you will not pay for:
- Installer errors
- New installation labor and time
- New materials
4. Value
Today’s real estate market is a wild ride, generally favoring sellers. This will not always hold, of course, but you want to maintain the value of your home. Keeping curb appeal high and value locked in should be priorities for any New Hampshire or Massachusetts homeowner.
You can spend a tiny amount of money on regular residential roof maintenance and keep the value of your home intact. Or, you risk reducing the value of your home and paying for needed repairs down the road.
5. Energy
A well-maintained residential roof is like a protective blanket over your house, holding in the expensive treated indoor air.
You can save money on energy bills, increase family comfort, and enjoy your home more when your roof is well-maintained. A properly maintained roof:
- Sheds water
- Keeps the cold out
- Prevents baking in the summer
- Allows your HVAC system to work less
Energy savings benefit your bank account and help the environment by leaving a smaller carbon footprint.
Adam Vaillancourt Roofing & Construction in the southern New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts areas is your best ally in the ongoing battle to protect and preserve your roof. Contact us today so we may work with you on maintaining your home’s roof.
