Weather & Storm Proofing Your Roof!!

On the coast of Queensland we get batted by tropical wet weather in the summer months. It is now the perfect time to 'storm proof' your home, in preparation for the wild summer weather we undoubtedly will experience!

Some common things that we see when inspecting weather damaged roofs are:

- TREES
Limbs that are overhanging or are close to the roof and gutter often break and can cause severe damage in
wild weather. Trim back shrubs, trees and anything that looks like it is getting overgrown. 

- GUTTERS AND DOWNPIPES
Leaf and debris filled gutters and downpipes don’t take long to overflow in a heavy downpour of rain.
Ensure that your gutters and downpipes are in working order by cleaning and flushing out the debris.  If this
is a regular issue, you may also need to think about installing gutter guard. We have seen downpipes so clogged full of litter that the water was backflowing back up into the roof cavity and straight onto the homeowners ceiling –causing
damage to plaster, electrical wiring, flooring and furniture.
It is also important that you have adequately sized gutters and downpipes, as if they are too small they will not allow high flows of water to escape properly.

- TILED ROOFS
Simple fixes like broken tiles of leaf litter buildup in the valleys can cause serious internal water damage to your roof. Other common issues are cracked ridge capping mortar, cracked ridge caps, loose bedding mortar or rusted valleys which all can cause water entry into your ceiling cavity if not fixed. Once again, we often see water backflowing under tiles or flowing into mortar cracks and straight into the roof cavity and onto the homeowners ceiling –causing damage to plaster, electrical wiring and their flooring.

 - METAL ROOFS
Some common things to look out for on a metal roof:
Metal roof sheets over time can rust out, leaving large holes in sheets.
Missing/rusted screws can often leave a hole where the screw should be.
Seal around tv antennas/chimneys/skylights/other roof penetrations can often corrode in time and allow water access into your roof cavity.
Poorly sealed flashings and barges can leave an easy entry for water into your roof cavity.
If you have old cracked asbestos roof sheets or old translucent sheeting, you may want to consider replacing it with Colorbond metal roof sheeting for its strength and durability.

 - SARKING
Sarking is a great investment for your home, Roof Sarking provides a reflective barrier which reduces the amount of heat transfer into and out of your home. It also acts as a weatherproof barrier to stop moisture entering your home in extreme weather conditions. In extreme weather conditions, hail or flying debris can damage the roof. Sarking can assist channel moisture away into the gutters and protecting the interior of your home from potential water damage.

The aim of storm and weather proofing your home is to minimise any risk and ensure a safe rainy season! Just remember that any water that enters your home, can create all sorts of problems including leaks or flooding, mould, structural damage and damage to furniture. We have seen issues where leaks have gone undetected for years, resulting in large structural works being required of replacing walls, ceilings and more, costing thousands.

Depending on how handy (and tolerant of heights!) you are and how extensive the repair and maintenance work required is, you may be able to tackle some roofing repairs yourself. If you would like a free roof inspection and an assessment of any maintenance or storm preparation needed for your roof, contact us today by phone or email. We would be more than happy to help you!