Having a roof over your head is a wonderful thing, until something goes wrong. A roof can be damaged in a number of ways, with wild weather being the main contributor. However, general wear and tear, corrosion and other factors can also lead to roof damage. If you’re experiencing leaks, overflowing gutters, or you can visibly see that your roof is damaged, it’s important to take action quickly.

Here are some things to consider when fixing a damaged roof.

Safety precautions

Firstly, safety should be paramount. Before you even consider inspecting the damage to your roof, you need to be safety conscious. Naturally, you’ll need a ladder if you’re climbing up there to take a look for yourself. It’s always recommended you have someone with you to hold the ladder as an extra precaution. Also consider footwear, as roofs can be slippery.

Depending how far you need to walk across the roof, remember that you want to walk on the strongest parts. You’ll be able to spot these by looking for the rivets in your roofing material (if the roof is metal). This means there’s a batten underneath, and therefore there’s extra support.

As with any home maintenance, if you don’t feel safe or comfortable, call your local roofing specialists instead.

Inspecting the damage

Once you’ve taken the necessary precautions, it’s time to assess the damage. Do you just have a broken tile? Is there corrosion in your roofing material? Are your gutters simply blocked, or is there some physical damage there?

Carefully check the entire roof. Generally, if the issue is caused by age and wear and tear, if there’s one problem area there are likely to be more. Once you’ve inspected the damage, you can make a decision about how to proceed.

Repairs or re-roofing?

For minor issues, you may be able to do some simple repairs yourself. Replacing tiles is not usually too difficult. If there’s loose roofing material it’s often possible to repair those yourself too provided you know the right types of materials to use. When doing roofing repairs, it’s important to check the damage underneath too. While you might be capable of fixing a minor repair, if there’s been water leaking under the roof material, there may be unseen damage that needs expert help.

The same goes for an entire re-roofing job. Professionals should handle this. So, if your roof damage is extreme, make a call to the experts.

Roofing insulation

Finally, when repairing or re-roofing, it’s a great chance to check your roof insulation. There is the standard insulation used in the roofing process, usually a type of reflective sheeting. If this is damaged, it’s a good idea to replace it. The same applies to the insulation batts for your roof cavity.

If you do need to have a complete re-roofing job done, you’ll have access to your roof cavity and you can put in some brand-new batts to improve the comfort levels of your home.