General Roofing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When it comes to the care of a roof for your home or business, we’re generally talking about a tag-team effort. While the pros at J&M Roofing are here to help with everything from basic roofing repair to choosing the right new roof for any building that’s in need, you as a home or building owner also have to take some basic steps when it comes to caring for and maintaining the roof on a day-to-day basis.

We’re here to offer expertise for all related areas here, including informing you on some of the most common mistakes we see home and business owners make from this position. Here are a few of the biggest no-no’s to avoid when it comes to caring for and maintaining your roof throughout the year.

Too Much Insulation
You may not have thought it was possible to have too much insulation for your roof, but you’d be wrong here. While it’s indeed extremely important to make sure your roof is properly insulated, especially during the cold winter, there is such thing as overdoing it here.

Namely, this can become an issue if your home has an attic at its upper level. In these cases, too much insulation will stop the attic from being able to properly ventilate itself, which can lead to rising humidity and the growth of mold. If this reaches too severe a level, it could damage your entire home’s air quality and structural integrity.

New Shingles Over Old
If you’re extremely handy around the roof, you might feel comfortable working with shingles and replacing old ones when necessary. Unfortunately, even some of the savviest home or business owners here make the simple mistake of nailing new shingles directly over the older, worn-down ones.

All this is doing is making any previous issues worse. Instead of doing it this way, new shingles always have to be installed in a brand new spot after the old ones were removed to allow for a proper seal.

Pressure Washer
It’s important to clean the roof periodically, or at least once a season, to prevent mold growth or other basic debris from building up too much. However, never use a pressure washer for this job – this can damage your roof surface and cause you significant costs. Use a standard hose on lower pressure instead.

No Attic Checks
If you have an attic in your home, it should be regularly inspected for signs that the roof is wearing down or needs replacement. Signs here may include mold growth, water damage, or high humidity levels.

No Inspections
In addition, the roof itself should be inspected multiple times per year – even if you don’t notice any leaks or visible issues. Small roof issues may not show signs early on, but this is the best time to address them before they become larger and costlier.

For more on avoiding common roofing mistakes, or to learn about any of our roofing contractor services, speak to the pros at J&M Roofing today.