1 Residential Roofing Best Practice For A Long-lasting Roof

1 Residential Roofing Best Practice For A Long-lasting Roof

Michigan homeowners face unique challenges with their homes’ roofs. Our weather is … interesting. What one thing, then, out of all the residential roofing best practices, could you do starting today to protect your roof? What one step could you take to ensure a long-lasting roof

Among the Best

The residential roofing industry is blessed with skillful contractors recognized by roofing manufacturers as the best of the best. For example, Moore & Sons Roofing is an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred Contractor. We garner 4.91 out of 5 stars for outstanding work in four areas:

  1. Communication
  2. Quality of Workmanship
  3. Value Received
  4. Likelihood of Being Recommended

We are among the best residential roofers because we follow best practices in installing and caring for the roofs of our Michigan neighbors. 

Homeowners can follow their own best practices in caring for residential roofs. Among the best practices you can perform to get the longest life from your roof, consider these: 

  • Regularly inspect your home’s roof from the ground — Without climbing a ladder or, far worse, trying to climb onto your home’s roof, you can spot problems before they become costly headaches, such as loose shingles, corroded flashing, curled or cracked shingles, or stray organic debris on your roof.
  • Compare your roof to new shingles — Take a stroll through a big-box home improvement store, or check online for a shingle color matching your home’s shingles; if you see dark streaks on your home which are not part of the shingle color or design, or you see moss, mold, or mildew, your roof needs professional attention.
  • Check your downspouts — Without climbing anywhere, you can see what is washing off your roof by examining the bottom of your home’s downspouts; granules washed off the roof are a bad sign of deterioration, while a lot of organic matter may mean the gutters are clogged.
  • Regularly inspect your home’s gutters — Using a sturdy extension ladder (and only if you feel comfortable doing so), take a look inside your home’s gutters; if you see granules washed down from your roof, you are literally losing your roof bit by bit.
  • Keep an eye on old repairs — Either from the ground or from the relative safety of an extension ladder going no higher than your gutters, check the condition of earlier roof repairs; look for popped nails, aged caulking, dislodged flashing, or damaged shingles.

Still, of all the residential roofing best practices, one measure stands out. It is so important, it deserves some discussion in detail. 

Do This Today

The single most valuable residential roofing best practice you can perform, starting today, is to enlist your local, helpful roofer for regular roof maintenance. A good shingle roof should last at least 20 years, even with Michigan’s challenging weather. 

You can add years of useful life to any roof through regular, careful roof maintenance. But such work is not for your hand and eye; it is best left to trained professionals. 

Start with semi-annual inspections. Have your home’s roof checked out after winter’s worst, in early spring. Have it inspected again in late fall, before winter returns with all its ice and snow. What will your neighborhood roofer look for? The shorter list is what your roofer will not look for, because all this is part of a residential roofing inspection

  • Using correct safety equipment and proper training, your roofer will walk the roof to examine ridge vents, field shingles, valleys, flashing, rubber boots around roof piercings, gable vents, soffit vents, gutters, and drip edge.
  • Your local roofer will climb into your attic to examine the condition of the underside of your home’s sheathing, check for mold and mildew, examine the insulation for thickness and condition, and check to ensure no light is shining in through roof cracks.
  • Your roofer will check the attic for proper ventilation, from soffit vents up to ridge vents or gable vents.
  • The highly trained, experienced roofer will inspect the condition and contents of your gutters, looking for granule loss, dents, loose hardware, and open seams.
  • A seasoned roofer will closely inspect around chimneys and anywhere flashing, weatherstripping, and caulk are used, looking for signs of water infiltration or damage.

Finally, your roofer will also clean your roof correctly, provide you with details and photographs of the roof’s condition, and recommend further improvements or repairs. 

Besides the two scheduled maintenance visits, reach out to your residential roofer immediately after any bad storm (ice, snow, or rain). A roof is at its weakest when it has just weathered a powerful storm. 

For professional help with your Michigan home’s roof, please contact us today at Moore & Sons Roofing. You can count on us to provide regular residential roof maintenance, accurate estimates on repairs and replacement roofing, detailed advice, and much more.

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