Roof Maintenance in Colorado - 5 Tasks to Protect Home Value
Whether you’ve lived here your whole life or are new to the unique climate of the centennial state, you may have questions about roof maintenance in Colorado. What do you need to do to maintain your roof and protect your home’s value? Should you be concerned about your roof after a big storm?
This article is here to answer all your questions!
What is Roof Maintenance in Colorado and Why is it Important?
Roof maintenance is a proactive way to ensure that a roof stays in good condition and is functionally able to protect the home’s interior. The amount of maintenance needed depends on the type and age of the roof. Some roofing materials like asphalt shingles can be largely maintenance free, while others, like metal and concrete tile, require more expertise and effort to keep them in good shape. For Colorado homeowners, roof maintenance includes:
Getting regular inspections
Cleaning the gutters
Minor repairs as needed
Preventative measures to avoid costly damage
The roof is the barrier that protects your home from the elements. A little proactive maintenance can go a long way in increasing your home’s value and keeping the space you live safe from leaks and mold.
Roof Maintenance CO: What is the Best Maintenance-Free Roof for Evergreen, Colorado?
The best type of roof is the kind that you can have installed and then forget about. You probably have enough things to worry about without having to schedule roof inspections every few years.
There are a few types of roofs that are maintenance free. For Colorado climates, Troost recommends either asphalt or an EPDM rubber roofing system.
Asphalt roofing tiles can be installed on nearly any shape roof with a slant. EPDM, however, is only suitable for homes that have a flat or low-pitched roof. When asphalt shingles and an EPDM system are installed properly with high-quality materials, they are maintenance free for up to 35 years.
Which Types of Roofs Require Maintenance?
If you don’t have an asphalt or EPDM roof, chances are that you will need to do some periodic roof maintenance in Colorado and protect your home’s value. The 2 types of roofs that typically need the most maintenance are metal roofs and concrete tile roofs.
Metal Roofs
Metal naturally expands and contracts with temperature. In states with a more moderate climate, this might not be such a big deal. However, Colorado gets temperatures as high as 90 degrees in the summer and as low as single digits in the winter. If you have a metal roof, the material is constantly expanding and contracting with these temperature fluctuations. This can cause the caulking to tear, screw to back out, and pieces of metal to break. If anything on a metal roof is loose, strong winds can rip it off entirely, which leaves your home vulnerable to the elements.
If you have a metal roof, you will need a licensed roofing contractor to perform an inspection every 5 to 7 years to check for damage or loose tiles. These inspections are key to catching damage early and getting it fixed so that your home can be entirely protected from leaks. If the damage is found during inspection and that damage was caused by a sudden act of nature, then you may be able to get insurance to cover the reroofing cost.
Concrete Tile
The primary appeal of concrete tile is the aesthetic value. Concrete tile comes in a wide range of colors and styles, which makes it easy to find a tile that complements the look of your home. This can increase curb appeal and enhance your home’s resale value.
The drawback of concrete tile is that it is not entirely maintenance free. The reason for this is the composition of the tiles: the concrete itself acts as a strong barrier that protects the underlayments. If the concrete tile is cracked, broken, or blown off the roof, then it can expose the underlayments to U.V. exposure. When organic underlayments are left exposed for extended periods, the sun can cause rapid deterioration, which can result in a leak.
Concrete tile roofs need to be inspected every 5 years to ensure that damaged tiles and exposed underlayments are found and fixed in a timely manner. It is important to hire an experienced roofing contractor, like Troost, to perform the inspection as our team will know what to look for and how to walk the roof in such a way that does not crack any of the tiles.
What Is Included in Roof Maintenance for Colorado Homeowners?
There are 5 tasks that are vital aspects of roof maintenance in Colorado homes:
Clean Your Gutters
The purpose of your home’s gutters is to route water away from your home’s foundation to stop your basement from incurring water intrusion. If your gutters or downspouts become backed up with debris, it can result in the overflow of water that can damage your home.
While a little water on the exterior of your home might not seem like a big deal, the long-term effects can be costly:
If too much water spills from a leaking or overflowing gutter, that moisture can cause water damage to your fascia, soffit and possibly siding
Pooling water can cause cracks to form in your home’s foundation and allow water to seep into the basement. In severe cases, the foundation can shift, which makes the walls and floors become uneven
Clogged gutters can lead to insect infestations because mosquitoes, termites, and beetles thrive in tight spaces that are filled with organic material and standing water
When gutters can’t drain properly, they get heavy. The weight can cause them to separate partially or entirely from the fascia
If you are cleaning out your gutters on a regular basis and still notice overflow during moderate to heavy rain, that can be a sign that your downspouts are clogged or your gutters need to be replaced and pitched correctly. Give Troost Roofing a call! Troost also seals and replaces gutters, which can be done before, after, during, or independent of your home’s re-roof.
2. Have Your Roof Inspected When Needed
Roof inspections are a part of roof maintenance in Colorado that it’s easy to forget about. However, they are extremely important to the health and safety of your roof. The purpose of an inspection is to catch minor damage and have it repaired before it becomes major damage. In the long term, the small cost of an inspection and repair can save you thousands of dollars associated with large repairs or re-roofs.
You may be wondering how often you should have your roof inspected. In general, you should always have your roof inspected after a major hail storm. If you notice hail damage to your patio, vehicles, gutters or other parts of your home, that’s a sign that your roof may have damage as well. During the inspection, Troost’s team will help you through the insurance process.
There are a few other times in which an inspection is necessary:
If you’re buying a new home
When you’re selling a home
If you have a metal or concrete roof and it’s been more than 5 years since your last inspection
If you are having solar panels put on your home. In some cases, solar companies require homeowners to replace the entire roof before the installation
If you notice that tiles seem discolored, cracked, or absent
3. Keep an Eye Out for Interior Water Damage
Most homeowners can’t see that much of their roof and are unlikely to climb up onto it. This piece of roof maintenance is something you can do without needing a ladder, any specialized skills, or even leaving your home. Roof maintenance in Colorado homes isn’t always hard. Sometimes it’s just as simple as being observant, like checking rooms for signs of water damage.
When a roof is damaged, it no longer acts as the membrane that protects your home from the elements. If there is a gap in this defense, water can leak into your home and cause damage to your interior.
Every once in a while, go room to room in your home and keep an eye out for these warning signs:
Water damage - it manifests as sagging drywall or peeling paint with rust-colored edges on either ceiling, walls or flooring
Mold and mildew - you may smell it before you see it. It typically looks like dark spots or a slime-like substance on surfaces.
Unusual smells - water leaks and still water begin to smell musty after a bit. If you notice a new smell in your home that can’t be traced to any other cause, it may mean you have a leak.
Ceiling shape - a ceiling can appear bowed or sagging.
Visible leaks and wet spots - visible drops of water, wet spots on your attic’s insulation, or wet, dark spots on the wood framing of the attic are signs that the leak is severe and needs to be addressed immediately.
4. Engage in Preventative Measures to Avoid Damage to the Roof
Roof maintenance in Colorado, especially in mountain communities, overlaps significantly with other necessary tasks, like tree trimming.
Tree branches can easily be felled by heavy rain or snow storms. When a tree branch falls onto your home, especially when it's weighted down with snow, it can cause damage. The best way to prevent this very expensive inconvenience is to periodically have overhanging trees trimmed back away from your roof.
As a bonus, this will also make cleaning your gutters easier since you will no longer have branches dropping pine needles, leaves, and seeds directly onto your roof to be washed into your gutters.
5. Get Minor Repairs as Needed
When you notice a potential problem with your roof, it is important to have it addressed as soon as possible. Homeowners already have so many things to think about, but you shouldn’t procrastinate when it comes to roof maintenance.
The moment you notice any sign that there could be minor damage to your roof, call Troost Roofing to have a Colorado roofing contractor come take a look. If it’s nothing to worry about, then the Troost team can put your worries to rest. If a spot repair is needed, Troost can address it quickly to prevent the issue from getting worse.
Like many home repairs, a relatively small investment into your roof’s structural integrity and performance can save you thousands of dollars in the future. This is why small repairs can go a long way!
The most common roof repairs for mountain homes are:
Replacing shingles blown off by the wind
Addressing small leaks by applying more caulking around the nail
Replacing damaged or worn flashings
Snug loose screws back into place (mostly necessary for metal roofs)
Cleaning gutters to prevent spillover
Weather proofing around skylights
The Go-To Contractor for Roof Maintenance in Colorado
Living in the mountains can present unique challenges, from deer using your yard as a buffet to the extra maintenance required to keep your roof in good condition. It’s extra important for mountain homeowners to clean pine needles out of your gutters, have overhanging branches trimmed, and to catch signs of a leak before significant damage occurs.
The good news is that Troost Roofing is here to help with all your roofing needs: repairs big and small, complete roof replacements, gutter repair and replacement, skylight installation, rigid insulation, and custom metal chimney caps to keep the elements and the critters out of your chimney.
Troost’s owner lives locally, so he understands all aspects of roof maintenance that come with mountain life.
Give Troost Roofing a call to schedule an inspection or get a quote! Most quotes are free.
