Is your roof showing signs of wear, tear, or decay?
Since the roof is a key part of the house, you need to ensure that quality work gets put into it. For roof repairs, you have two choices. You can hire professional roofers to do the job or do it yourself.
Below, we’ll discuss how to choose between those two choices. We’ll discuss why and when you need a roofing professional to help you out. We’ll also include a few tips on doing DIY roof replacements and picking the best roofer.
When and Why Do You Need a Roof Replacement?
Everybody must take good care of their home as it takes good care of them. Though you don’t often think about it, your roof is no exception. Below are the best times to call in an expert or consider doing a DIY roof replacement.
A bad roof opens you and your family to a lot of risks. For example, a sagging roof needs replacing before it gets further damage. A sagging roof often means that there’s trapped moisture or rotten boards in it.
A mossy roof is another sign that there’s moisture in your roof. A moist roof can weaken the roofing materials. It can also cause ventilation problems in the home, which encourages condensation.
Recall the recent 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. If your roof got damaged by any one of the storms that passed by your home, make sure you do repairs ASAP. Otherwise, you’re less likely to be safe in your home by the time the next storm comes and visits your state.
DIY Roof Replacement Benefits and Drawbacks
The average cost of a roofing replacement is $8,160. Some roof replacements can cost as little as $5,374, while other projects can cost almost $11,000. A DIY roof replacement is a great idea if you want to save money, especially if the job is a small one.
However, if you don’t know how to replace a roof, you might do further damage to it. This can cause more problems later, both financial and roof-related. If you don’t have any experience doing roof repairs, it’s smarter to consider hiring someone who is.
Another benefit of doing a DIY roof replacement is that you can do it during your free time. Sometimes, the professionals you want to repair your roof are too busy. If you don’t trust that anybody else can do the job, then you may as well do it yourself to be sure.
The problem with this is that busy people don’t always have the time to DIY their roof repairs. It’s a bad idea to keep your roof repair jobs waiting, as explained earlier. If you want to keep your home intact, leak-free, and storm-resistant, keep your roof in tip-top shape. Go for it, even if it means hiring a professional.
Reasons to Call Professional Roofers
Are you still unsure whether you need to call a professional roofer to do the job? Here are more reasons to call a roofer to do your roof replacements.
Roofing work is a physically demanding job. If you have injuries or chronic conditions, you’d want to stay away from the roof. It’s also better to call an expert if you don’t have the energy to do the exhausting work that is the replacement of a roof.
If you don’t have the time to do the roofing, you may want to hire an expert to help. Experts can do the work while working or taking care of the kids. Let’s not forget that you have the guaranty of having a durable and sturdy roof that can withstand any weather.
Benefits of Using Professional Roofer Services
Professional roofers have expertise in the field as well as experience. They know the risks involved in the job and can minimize those risks. This will ensure that you get quality services, and your roof won’t likely fall apart soon.
Their training helps them fix roofs without damaging them. When you try to do DIY roof replacement, you may cause further damage to it. This can cause a roof collapse or other situations that lead to molding or infestation.
Since expert roofers have experience and training, they can also work fast. They can finish the job in a much shorter time than if you try to DIY your roof repairs. This is vital for those who live in areas that storms often visit and don’t have the luxury of time.
If you don’t have the tools to repair your roof, professional roofers do. They don’t only have the tools meant for roof replacement. They also have the necessary safety gear for climbing.
Finally, hiring professional roofers is more cost-effective in the long run. You’ll pay a high fee upfront. You can rest assured that you won’t spend any more later on extra roofing costs.
When you try to DIY your roofing, you may cause problems that will cost more. For example, you somehow damage your roof’s framework, which leads to a roof collapse. You’ll be paying more for the damage costs when this happens than hiring roofers.
What to Consider When Hiring Professional Roofers
Let’s say you decide to hire a professional roofing contractor. Now, your problem is choosing the one that will best fit your budget and preferences. To find the right roofer, you need to do a few things.
First, research the available professional roofers in your area. Gather information by checking out their websites and the reviews on their services. This step will help you filter out the best roofers.
Next, contact them and ask about their business. How long has the roofing contractor been in the business? Ask who will perform the installation and if they have a plan on how to handle unsatisfied customers.
If you’re worried about the contractor’s licenses, insurance, and pricing, ask about it. You can even double-check the data on their website. On the cost of roof replacement, discuss your budget with them.
If you want to be sure that the roofers do good work, you can look at their past work. Ask the company for a list of homeowners to call or review sites that feature them. Forget about working with roofers who won’t or hesitate to give you such information.
Don’t forget to get the financing agreements in writing. A trustworthy roof repair company won’t agree on keeping only oral agreements. Also, make sure that the document is clear and easy to understand.
What to Consider When Doing a DIY Roof Replacement
If you decide to do the work yourself, that’s great. Nothing else beats the satisfaction of doing the hard work yourself. However, you also must remember your knowledge and skill level in roofing.
If you haven’t touched a single shingle in your life, then consider researching first. A little research can go a long way, especially in important projects like this. We live in the information age, so use all the resources you have available to you.
Search Google for the correct way to do a roof replacement. You can find many guides and video tutorials online about roof replacements. Don’t forget to search for the roof replacement guide that matches the type of roof that you have.
Don’t focus on only the right way to make DIY home improvement for your roof. You also want to search Google for things you mustn’t do when replacing your roof. Looking at the do’s and don’ts of roof replacement will give you a clearer idea of its proper methods.
For example, when you replace asphalt shingles, you mustn’t tear the surrounding shingles. Instead, you’d want to work on removing only the damaged shingle. It’ll take a lot of time and careful work to take out the offending shingles, but this is the smarter move.
It’d also be a mistake to cut out the shingle. The correct way to remove it is to take the whole thing off. If you don’t remove the entire shingle, the replacement shingle can become loose. This can later lead to water damage, or the shingle can blow off.
Finally, always ensure that your roof replacement project has safety and backup plans.
Pick the Right Approach to Roof Replacement
Finding the right roof replacement plan is not easy. This is why you need to make sure that you plan and think about your DIY roof replacement. If you plan on hiring a roof replacement expert, then make sure you also know a bit about their plans.
That ends our guide on choosing between doing a DIY roof replacement and a professional roofer. We hope you picked up something useful from this roofing repair guide. If you want to see more content like this, check out our other home and lifestyle guides now.