DIYs – do-it-yourself projects – are very popular, and it can be tempting to try to fix issues on your roof without ever getting a contractor involved. Professional repairs can be expensive, and it’s understandable to want to avoid spending a lot of money. But attempting to do it yourself on a roof is almost never a good idea – roofers are professionally trained to work on roofs and to look for issues that may not be immediately obvious. If you try to do it yourself, you may miss underlying problems – and that means your DIY work is really just a band-aid covering a big problem underneath. In addition, roof work can be dangerous if you lack proper training and equipment. We’ve compiled some common DIY roofing fails, so you can think twice about whether or not you want to climb up there yourself.
Common DIY Roofing Fails
If you’re not professionally trained in roof work, it’s easy to make a mistake and potentially damage your roof even further. What are some common DIY roofing fails, and how can you avoid making them?
- Causing Damage While Looking for Damage: Funnily enough, this is probably one of the most common mistakes made while attempting to perform work on your own roof. It’s very easy to accidentally damage your shingles or tiles with a single misstep. It’s better to inspect your roof from the ground, without leaving your ladder, or using a drone — or better yet, call a roofing contractor to tell a professional inspection, which will give you all the information you need with none of the risks.
- Covering Roof Vents: It may be tempting to cover the vents on your roof to prevent insects or dust from getting into your home, but remember, those vents serve a very important purpose – ventilation and exhaust – and covering them prevents them from doing their job, which can lead to serious problems down the line. And NEVER cover or screen your dryer vent.
- Choosing Improper or Cheap Materials: If you’re trying to replace shingles on your roof, it’s important to have the right tools and shingles to perform the job, but it can be hard to determine which are the right ones for your roof, and it’s understandable that many homeowners end up choosing ones that are on the lower end of the price range – which can end up backfiring when those materials don’t work very well or fly off during the next windy day. Did you know that shingles are still available in two different sizes? Standard and Metric. Be sure you know what size you need, and it is best to take a color sample to a Roofing Supplier, not a big box store. You are much more likely to get a color that will fit and blend best with what you have.
What To Do If You Can’t Afford a New Roof
It’s no secret that roof work can be a significant investment. But the thing is, if your roof is in need of repairs or replacement, neglecting to hire professionals to take care of the problem is only delaying the inevitable – and potentially causing even more problems to arise in the future. The cheapest way to fix your roof is as soon as possible, to prevent the damage from becoming more severe or accidentally exacerbating it with easy-to-make DIY mistakes, which will make the necessary repairs much more expensive than they were, to begin with.
In addition, Roofstar Arizona has financing options available to you. We want to help you, not bankrupt you – we’ll work with you to get you the best service offered in Arizona, and we’ll always tell you the truth about your roof. Call us now at (480)-426-1915 for more information or to schedule an inspection or repair.