The Roof Repair Improvement Advice

Homes are our precious property - to have a home for oneself is a goal many people aim for in life, even from childhood. After making a home for oneself and the family, it needs to be kept clean and well maintained. Most people don't pay much attention to their roof until rain or melting snow starts to leak through it-then it needs some Improvement action. But if you periodically inspect the roof carefully, you can correct minor problems before they become serious enough to cause damage.

Be familiar with the structure of the roof is the first step toward diagnosing possible problem. A typical roof begins with a framework of rafters which supports a roof deck consisting of sheathing and underlayment. The roof deck, in turn, provides a nailing base for the roof surface material. Though the type of roof deck used can vary depending on the roof surface material, most decks have both sheathing and underlayment. The surface of the roof is often broken by angles and protruisions,all of which require weatherproo- fing-usually provided by the flashing. Made from malleable metal or plastic, flash-ing appears as the drip edge along the eaves and rakes of a roof, the collars around ventilation and plumbing pipes, the valleys between two roof planes,and the "steps" along a chimney or domer.

The second step is to inspect your roof periodically. Begin an inspection in the attic, using a strong flashlight, a thin screwdriver, a knife, and a piece of chalk to examine the ridge beam, rafters, and sheathing. Look for water stains, dark-colored areas of wet wood, moisture, and soft spots that may indicate dry rot. Mark the wet spots with chalk so you can find them easily later on.When you examine the roof from outdoors,evaluate the condition of the roof structure, surface material, flashings, eaves, and gutters.To check the roof structure,stand back from the house and look at the lines of the ridge and rafters. The ridge line should be perfectly horizontal, and the line of the rafters, which you can assess by looking along the plane of each roof section, should be straight. If either sags, call in a professional contractor -you may have a structural problem.

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