Nobody wants to find out that their roof is falling apart when the first major storm of the year hits. At that point, major damage can be done to your home and electrical system. As a result, you should perform a home inspection every year to ensure that your roof is ready for the wet months of the year. Here's how you can check your roof without leaving your house.
Ceilings
The first and easiest thing to do is to go from room to room examining the ceilings and upper walls in your home.
When leaks start, they often don't appear as a simple dripping from the ceiling. Instead, sometimes the ceiling manages to absorb most of the problem but damage still occurs. In this situation, you can often tell if the ceiling is experiencing water damage by looking for discolorations on the ceiling. If the ceiling seems like there's a patch where the color doesn't match the rest or it's noticeably yellow or brown, that's a bad sign. That may mean that water has been collecting in your attic without you knowing it and that the ceiling is the only thing keeping the water from flooding your house.
Attic
The next step requires going into your attic. Get up there and take a look around at the roof.
In the attic, you'll want to look for similar signs of water damage as you did while looking at the ceilings and walls. However, you'll also want to look for any signs of dimpling, or in other words, if the roof looks like it's caving in anywhere. If you find a problem like that, contact a roofing contractor immediately, as your roof will likely not hold up during the next major storm.
If you did find a problem with your ceiling while downstairs, check that same area while you're in the attic. It's possible that something else could have caused water damage, like a leaking pipe, so it's a good idea to narrow down the causes.
Heating Bill
Lastly, your heating bill may go up if your roof is damaged. This is because the roof and attic are integral to maintaining insulation throughout your home. If the insulation in the attic is damaged by water coming in, or if the roof has a hole in it that's allowing in the cold, your heating bill will likely rise as a result. Unfortunately, this can go unnoticed if you tend to just leave your heater on at a set temperature, so try to pay attention to how often the heater turns on. If it seems like it's engaging more and your bill is higher, that's a bad sign.
Share13 December 2019
When it came time to install a new roof on my home, I had no idea where to start. In fact, I was exploring roofing options that were a really poor fit in my climate. It wasn't until I reached out to a local roofer that I got some lessons on how to choose the right roofing material for my home and the weather exposure it is subjected to. I built this site to share my journey, including the mistakes I made and the things that I learned along the way. If you are considering replacing your home's roof, I hope that the information here can help to guide you through the process.