roof evaluation- the DYI approach

A decent roof evaluation should take into account many factors and should ideally involve the help of a roofing consultant.

Be aware that there are many roofing contractors out there willing to do just about anything to land a contract, which can easily make your roof sound like it is on the verge of collapsing. To get an unbiased opinion you should pay some bucks and hire a roofing consultant or if you wish learn a few things on your own and do the evaluation yourself.

If you hire a consultant you will get all the information and advice you need, but where would be the fun in that.

There are many factors you have to take into account when doing a DYI roof evaluation. First things first, do some reading, on the internet or in the specialty magazines. Literacy in this domain is alarmingly low. You must never start with the assumption that once a roof is old it is also necessarily damaged. A 80 year old slate roof is for example suffering from midlife crisis, meaning that it is halfway through its aging process and can very well withstand 80 more years. What you need are facts. Are there any leaks? If so before blaming the old roof try seeing if the flashing is done right or if it is damaged. This is the point where most of the leaks occur. Do you have problems with attic excess humidity? Check the ventilation system and so on. Watch out for peripheral systems to see if they are in order. If you find the culprit there, the renovation cost will be cut drastically.

Let's say that in the end you realize that you do need a new roof. It is time for another part of the roof evaluation process. The alternatives are many, but most of the time only a few are supported by your house. Check the framing first to see what it can hold. Slate roofs for example need a very sturdy frame. Also you should make the new roof resemble as much as possible the old one. Even metal roofs are suited for this purpose as they can mimic quite well old styles. This is important because you want to keep the aura of the house intact and a roofing is a big part of it.

Sometimes when the roof framing is affected by humidity or natural disasters you might have to build the roof from ground up. This means that it will become very costly, but it also means that you have a wider array of choices available. You should still try to maintain the style, but you could also aim for a bigger attic, change some angles and so on. The choice is really yours in the end.

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