Executive Summary
- Roof maintenance plays an important part in ensuring its structural integrity, maintaining a high property value, and saving you from high repair costs in the future.
- Maintenance tasks that can help extend the lifespan of your roof include moss removal, roof cleaning, and gutter cleaning.
- DIY roof maintenance comes with several limitations, like safety risks, a lack of specialized equipment, inexperienced repairs, and more.
- The best way to make your roof last longer is to consult a professional service with the tools and experience to address your roof properly.
Although it can seem like something you don’t have to think about very often, your roof needs maintenance just like many other parts of your home. Roof maintenance plays a valuable part in protecting it from future damage and preserving its longevity.
Maintaining your roof also comes with other key benefits, like preserving the aesthetic of your home, protecting your property value, and avoiding structural damage. Best of all, maintaining your roof now means saving yourself from high costs for more expensive repairs down the line. There are several steps you can take to make your roof last longer, and with the support of a professional service, you can keep your roof in its best shape for years to come.
What Is Roof Maintenance?
Roof maintenance includes a variety of methods used to ensure the structural integrity of your roof and preserve its longevity. Regular maintenance can extend the lifespan of your roof up to 30 to 50%. With the right expertise and support, roof maintenance is an invaluable process to add to your home’s maintenance schedule.
Important examples of steps to take for roof maintenance include:
- Regular inspections to detect potential issues early
- Removing moss from your roof
- Cleaning debris buildup to prevent moisture from being trapped on your roof
- Gutter cleaning
- Replacing damaged shingles
The different types of maintenance you’ll need will depend on your roof, your home, and your area. For example, for tile and asphalt roof maintenance, it’s best practice to have the roof cleaned every three years. For cedar roofs, you should seek a cleaning every five years.
Meanwhile, if you live in an area where moss buildup is common, then you should have a moss removal service take care of it and prevent it from returning.
Often, the best form of maintenance is a regular roof inspection to pinpoint any potential issues that must be addressed. The longer an issue goes undetected, the more damage it can cause to your roof and the higher the cost to repair it. Regular maintenance helps you stay ahead of the game so you can avoid lengthy repairs and unnecessary replacements.
Limitations of DIY Maintenance
In an attempt to save money, some people prefer the DIY approach and attempt to carry out roof maintenance by themselves. However, in the long run, this may not be the best idea, especially if you’re looking to cut costs. More often than not, there’s no substitute for professional expertise in ensuring a job well done the first time.
Some of the limitations of DIY maintenance include:
- Safety risks – Going up on your roof is something to take seriously. Without the proper equipment and support, you put yourself at risk of injury or fall.
- Difficulty identifying minor issues – If you perform maintenance on your own, you might think you completed a job well done but may have overlooked subtle details that are easy for the average person to miss and can turn into problems later.
- Risk of further damage – A roof’s construction is more complex than people think. By using improper repair methods, you may cause additional damage to your roof and risk potential leaks.
- Time and effort – Maintaining your roof on your own comes with a considerable amount of time and energy, especially if you are following a proper maintenance schedule and going on your roof as often as you should.
- Lack of specialized tools – A lack of specialized tools can make it difficult to maintain your roof and properly address small fixes.
Although it may seem like DIY maintenance can save you money, this is often not the case in the long run. If you happen to cause a larger issue due to inexperience, it will only lead to even more costs.
Similarly, if you do not address maintenance tasks properly, they can compound and lead to further, more expensive issues down the line. It’s better to trust the professionals who have the experience instead of risking spending time and energy that might be ineffective.
Benefits of Professional Roof Maintenance
With the several risks and limitations of DIY roof maintenance, it’s a better choice to pursue professional roof maintenance. Professional roof services will offer you more security and peace of mind without any extra effort on your part, as they have the expertise and professional capabilities to understand the ideal method for addressing problems.
Regular roof care is always less expensive than repair or replacement from neglect. Additional benefits of professional roof maintenance include that professional services:
- Have the tools and equipment to address a range of underlying issues
- Have a trained eye to identify any potential issues that may not be obvious to the average person
- Offer a variety of services, from simple roof maintenance to full roof replacement, depending on your home’s needs
- Save you money down the line by preventing yourself from incurring more extensive costs from unresolved or unidentified issues
- Will offer regular maintenance to support you on a consistent basis
- Respond to issues when they arise, helping you avoid bigger problems
- Can identify and understand any underlying issues, like mold growth, improper attic airflow, and more
- Ensure that repairs and installations are backed by warranty
All together, professional services know all the details behind proper roof maintenance and understand how to make roof shingles last longer. Roof Life of Oregon offers all the above benefits to ensure that we help you keep your roof in the best possible condition. We’re here to support you with all areas of roof maintenance, including cleaning, repairs, and periodic inspections.
You can also expect to hear from us every 3 to 5 years for a well-care inspection so that we can help you stay up to date with maintenance and keep your roof in its best shape for as long as possible.
Make Your Roof Last Longer with Professional Roof Maintenance
Although it can be easy to overlook, roof maintenance is well worth it for keeping your roof in good shape and saving yourself from excess costs long-term. Regular maintenance can extend the life of your roof for years to come, but it’s important to seek support from a professional service.
Roof Life of Oregon offers several services to prolong the lifespan of your roof, from moss removal to gutter cleaning. We’ve been working on roofs in and around Portland for over 38 years, so we have the tools and experience necessary to perform a job well done. We’ll even check in with you every few years to perform a free maintenance inspection and recommend any action.
Call us today for a free inspection. We’ll perform a detailed check of your roof and provide you a quote for any repairs to ensure transparency—plus, we’ll only ever recommend repairs when they’re absolutely necessary.