Owning a home is a gratifying experience which comes with lots of responsibilities. One of these responsibilities is ensuring your roof stays in good shape throughout the duration of your occupation. Unfortunately, the roof tends to be one of the most neglected areas of the house, which is only noticed when a leak appears. As a homeowner, the best thing you can do for your roof is check on it from time to time, so you can catch small problems before they get out of hand. Your residential roofing contractor may have forgotten to tell you this, but there are several things that you should look out for to alert you to the need for a roof repair.Consider these warning signs that should tell you that your roof is in dire need of maintenance:Broken shingles: There are several reasons why shingles might become damaged over time, and many of these are related to the weather elements. For instance, hail, heavy rain, strong winds and lots of heat from the sun are reasons why your roof shingles might start cracking and breaking. Do a thorough check regularly to see whether any damage has occurred on the shingles. If you are not sure about going up the roof for safety reasons, you could always use binoculars and carry your inspection while on the ground.Buckling: If your shingles have a wavy texture about them, it is time to call the residential roofing contractors. Buckling makes your roof look as if something is pushing up the shingles from underneath and may be caused by several factors. These include roof deck movement, wrinkled underlayment, improperly applied felt and even application of new shingles over old rough shingles. Usually, buckling is fixed by removing the affected shingles and investigating the cause of the buck. This is best done by a professional residential roofing contractor.Clawing and curling: Clawing refers to the curling downward of shingles while in curling, the shingles curl upward. Both conditions make your home susceptible to damage arising from weather conditions such as strong winds and snowfall. If you do realize that some of your shingles are starting to curl, the next best step is to call your roofing company who will then send someone over for a thorough inspection and a recommendation of what to do to fix the problem.Besides the shingles, you should also closely monitor your gutter, fascia and insulation regularly so you do not have to incur huge bills getting your roof replaced, only because you did not note the problem early enough.Ideally, the best arrangement is where you have a residential roofing contractor who offers you regular inspection of your roof when you need it, as part of a package deal. It is therefore best to take your time when choosing a roofing contractor, in order to ensure you get one who is highly professional and who prioritizes the client’s needs as it should be. Just don’t take too long noticing that slight distortion in your shingles alignment because in a few months it might turn into a huge leak.
