The Roof: Tackling small problems before they become big issues
Most homeowners, we would suggest the vast majority, have a very natural tendency to put repairs off.
We fully understand this, it is human nature.
It is a rare person who spots a small issue and then immediately prioritises seeking a fix.
In any home there are just so many small issues. For any new problem it’s tempting to just think ‘join the back of the queue’.
You spot a loose window seal, that can wait, the cat flap hasn’t been fixed yet.
The paint in the hallway needs a re-do, hmmm but that will cost a few hundred pounds and shouldn’t we get that patch of the kitchen that needs replastering looked at first?
This same behaviour applies to the roof. You spot that little hint of damp in the spare bedroom that’s probably related to the roof in some way. It can wait.
You go into the loft and it seems unusually drafty. Not to worry, the loft doesn’t really matter anyway, does it?
The problem however is that not all issues are equal.
Not All Issues Are Equal
Some issues when spotted probably should be fixed straight away. Others can be allowed to slip without it mattering a huge deal.
Or, to put it a different way, there are some issues that will never be cheaper to rectify than they are right now.
The hallway paint quote won’t become more expensive over the next few months. That patch of plaster on the kitchen is a simple enough job. It will cost £250 now, it will also cost £250 in a year’s time.
However other issues follow a very different pattern. Over time, they quickly become more of an issue or the impact spreads. The cost, and potential nuisance, of any fix only grows.
Many roofing issues fall into this category but we don’t wish to alarm you. It isn’t only roof issues to which this applies, clearly leaking pipes or signs of movement would be equally important to investigate ASAP.
Equally not all roofing issues truly require urgent repair. A loose tile or two might not currently be much of an issue and might remain so – imperfect but not hugely damaging – for some time.
More often than not though we know when an issue will only cost more in future, don’t we. As homeowners we get that sinking feeling.
We put off a repair even though deep down we know we probably should get it looked at.
If we were to be honest we’re thinking €˜I’d rather pay more, at some point in the future which for now seems she’s off, than pay less right now’
But that’s quite a lot to formulate as a thought in one moment. Mostly we just put it to the back of our mind.
Jobs become bigger than they needed to be.
We specialise in roofing repairs and maintenance, but we preach that prevention is better than a cure. It is genuinely frustrating to see big jobs costing homeowners a good chunk of money that could so easily have been far cheaper or even not required at all.
Most roof repairs would never have been required if the homeowner had instead committed to an annual maintenance check. Surely we all work too hard to waste money needlessly.
The patch of damp coming from the roof could have been prevented, it didn’t have to become a job also requiring work to repair the damage caused on the top floor. The guttering, if only that had been checked, rain would not have cascaded down the side of the house causing far greater damage.
If you are at all interested in following a prevention is better than cure approach, please contact us.
About Improve A Roof
At Improve a Roof, we offer roof coating that will extend the life of your roof and also reduce heating bills, and also an annual wash and refurbish option – this would clean your roof but also address any maintenance issues such as loose or missing tiles, the capping of gutters, re-mortaring of the ridge and many more common issues.
Our testimonials are universally positive, please