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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 26, 2017)
r replacing ep pl p aci n Y OUR YOUR R r roof roo It’ s something most of us take for grante It’s granted: the roof over our heads. If th that hat roof is old or leak leaky, it’s time to act. even in its old age, Even if your roof continues co ntinues to function normally n it might be wise to replace r it before pro problems arise. There are some telltale ways a roof lets you know i it’s t’ s reached the end o of its useful life or has been damaged beyond repair. REAL ESTATE 101 Cool off your roof COMPROMISED COMPROMIS SED INTEGRITY Shingle problems: Asp Asphalt phalt shingles that curl, e with bald spot from losing buckle or crack, or those granules, , are p g probably y d ue to be replaced. p due Appearance: Dark stre eaks form on roofs because streaks of algae growth. Y o ou mig ght be able to remove those You might ixture of bleach and water streaks using a 50-50 mi mixture (being sure to use low pr ressure and direct the pressure runof runoff f down gutters into a bucket where you can dispose of it so it doesn’t t kill your landscaping). Moss growing on your roof ro oof can trap rot-causing moisture, destabilizing your yo our roof. STORM ST ORM DAMAGE If a wind or hail storm has caused damage to homes in your area, it’s a good idea to have a URRÀQJFRQWUDFWRUORRNDW\RXUURRIHYHQLI\RX URRÀQJFRQWUDFWRUORRNDW W\RXUURRIHYHQLI\RX don’t see damage from t the he ground. Hail doesn’t have to cause visible pocks poc cks or break through integrity. . Roofers are shingles to compromise their t integrity trained to look carefully at a the condition of shingles for evidence of hail damage. dama age. Likewise, wind can damage roof decking beneath ben neath the shingles, making it hard to spot damage without a trained eye. If your you r gutters, fencing or siding sidin ng have sustained damage, that’s a good indication n there could be roof damage, damage e, as well. ROOF ROO OF AGE Most roofs will last 20-25 2 years. If you live in a subdivision where all th the he homes were built around the same time and many man ny of your neighbors are replacing their roofs, it’s s time to start thinking about replacing yours. You Y o ou probably pr robably have the same kind of o roof, installed at about the same time, which means s it probably has fared similarly si milarly and is well worn. Buying a new roof isn’t is sn’t as much fun as buying a new car or going on a fancy vacation, especially when you haven’t had any a leaks or other problems, but it’s a wise investment investme ent to prevent inevitable future futur e problems. Roofs often fail f catastrophically, catastrophically , meaning g \RXFRXOGDOVRVXVWDLQ ÁRRGGDPDJHDQGORVVRI \RXFRXOGDOVRVXVWDLQÁRRGGDPDJHDQGORVVRI your personal property inside the home. ),/,1*$1ɑ ),/,1* $1ɑ, 1685$1&(&/$,0 1 685$1&(&/$,0 Your Y our o homeowner’s insurance i nsurance policy probably covers storm damage to t your roof. Check your 14 | Property Lines: At Home edition 2017 | www.dailyastorian.com If you’re replacing your roof and looking t to o make your y our home e more mor e energy ener gy efficient, efficien t, c consider onsider a cool c ool roof. r oo of . A cool c ool roof r oof reflects r eflec ts mor sunligh t and absor bs less heat hea t than more e sunlight absorbs traditional tr aditional r roofs. ooff s . T The h benefits include r reducing he educing utility y bills, uninsulated utilit bills , cooling c ooling g and heating hea ting uninsula t ed par ts of your y our home, home e , such as a garage, gar age , and parts extending life learn more, visit ex t ending the lif fe of o the r roof. ooff. T To o lear n mor e , vis it the U.S. U .S. Department D epar tmen n t of Energy Ener gy website w ebsit e at a t w w w .ener gy .go v/e ener gy sa v er/c ool-r ooff s . www.energy.gov/energysaver/cool-roofs. surance policies have deductible. Some ins insurance b on a percentage of yo our deductibles that are based your e home’s replacement value, making the deductible etter of so high that you’re be better off f replacing the roof ZLWKRXWÀOLQJDQLQVXU UDQFHFODLP ZLWKRXWÀOLQJDQLQVXUDQFHFODLP olicy to see if it takes into Also check your po policy our roof. If so, you might be account the age of yo your e roof’s depreciated value. Y o our able to claim only the Your so could decide that only on e insurance adjuster al also one slope of your roof has s suf fered storm damage and d suffered t. requires replacement replacement.
