They say that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. When it comes to the “cover” of your home, though, also known as the roof, you can gain quite a bit of information about the home that’s underneath simply by assessing the condition of the roof that’s on top. To help you understand this roof “code,” here are a few insights into what the state of your roof says about the rest of your house.
Solar Panels: Your Home Maximizes Efficiency
If your roof serves as a foundation for solar panels, it’s likely that the rest of your home serves as a model of efficiency, as well. Rather than allowing all that space on top of your home to go to waste, you can use your roof to hold what is essentially a miniature power plant that can help power your home and lower your electric bills. You can also use skylights in your roof to further increase efficiency by making use of natural light instead of relying on electric lights.
Uneven Roof: Too Much Humidity
Though a roof is strong, it is still susceptible to the forces of nature over time. If you look at your roof and notice that you can see hills and valleys across its surface, it’s likely that you have too much humidity in your home, specifically in your attic. This can be corrected by increasing ventilation to your attic to allow humidity to escape or by installing a dehumidifier to remove humidity from your entire home. Once the humidity is gone, you’ll want to have a roofing services company assess the condition of your roof decking.
Full Gutters: Roof and Foundation Damage Likely
If you can see leaves sticking up out of your gutters or especially if you have miniature maple trees growing in your gutters, it’s likely that your home and roof have some type of water damage. If you don’t regularly clean out your gutters, they will be prone to overflowing, which causes the water to be absorbed by the roof decking or to pool near your foundation, leading to cracks and leaks. In any event, if you notice you have clogged gutters, it’s important to clean them out as soon as possible.
New Roof: Your Home is Well-Maintained
Of course, your roof doesn’t just have to say negative things about your home. Your roof can also say positive things. If your roof is new or has been replaced in the last few years, it communicates that you care about your home and want it to last as long as possible. Of course, the quality of your new roof is ultimately what will determine the condition of your home, so it’s important to use a trusted roofing contractor when you need to have your roof replaced.
Though it’s fairly easy to understand what your roof is saying once you learn how to interpret the signs, these signs can be easy to overlook on your own roof because you’re so accustomed to seeing it. As the roof deteriorates slowly, you may not notice there are any issues until major problems occur. Therefore, it’s important to “check-in” with your roof from time-to-time so that you don’t miss what it’s trying to tell you.