If you’re thinking of installing or fixing your roof on your own and saving a few bucks then you need some pointers on how to do it correctly. Your roof is something you can’t mess up with so you need to be well prepared before you take on the challenge or consult a roofing specialists sydney. Here are 5 roofing mistakes you can easily make and how you can avoid them;
Nailing it poorly
This is one of the most basic and common mistakes made when constructing a roof. If you don’t nail down the shingles properly, they can leave room for water to penetrate through and will be loose and will give way easily. If you nail it too hard then the nail goes through the shingle and it doesn’t hold anything. You have to make sure to use at least 4 nails per shingle and nail it down to the appropriate depth instead of too little or too much.
Shingles not aligned or joined
Shingles are usually aligned and installed in straight lines on a roof. Make sure you’re not leaving space in between the shingles because that’s your first layer of protection against external elements. It’s important to have them joined and aligned correctly with each other or you could really pay the price by letting the external climate getting into your home – uninvited!
Not making a gutter
In areas where it snows or rains a lot, it is especially important to make a gutter for the roof for the snow and water to flow down to the floor and disperse. Houses that don’t have a gutter on their roofs make them susceptible to damage due to weight and pressure on the roof owing to the collection of rain and snow. Your roof can cave in if it’s carrying a lot more load than it’s meant to!
Not replacing old shingles
A lot of people think that they’re saving money by installing and nailing new shingles on top of the old ones but trust us – it will cost you way more in the long run! Always take out older shingles before installing new ones because you never know what kind of damage your old ones have suffered even if they don’t look it. It’s always best to be safe than sorry!
Messing up the slope
A lot of Victorian houses or houses in rainy climates have sloped rooves and so it’s important to have the angle right of the roof. You can’t mess it up because if you do, the angle will be off and the roof won’t sit very well on top of your walls and that tends to cause cracks and water damage to your walls and floor in some cases. Make sure you hire roofers to check the slope of your roof and provide you with any assistance you need doing the job!
