Your roof is arguably the most critical part of your Nashville home or business location. If it is not in good repair, the rest of your building is at risk for damage from water or the elements. With all of the other things you have to manage during your busy days, you probably don’t give much thought to your roof. It would be wise to check it out once in a while, though, to make sure all the elements of your roofing are in decent condition. But, how do you know when it is time to replace the roof?

What To Look For When Inspecting Your Nashville Roof

You’ll want to check both the interior and exterior of your building to find signs that will tell you the shape your roof is in.

Interior: 

• Daylight. If you see daylight through your roof boards, that’s a good indicator that your roof is no longer doing its job. If light can come in, so can water. 

• Water Marks. If you see dark stains or dark streaks on the underside of your roof or running down the walls of your attic, then your roof is probably leaking, and moisture is damaging both your roof and your home’s interior structure. In addition to checking for dark streaks and sagging areas, make sure to look for any obvious signs of water leaking or rotting your roof on the inside. 

• Sagging. If you identify sagging areas in your roof, test the sagging spot. You know you have water damage if it feels soft and wet or bends when prodding it.

Exterior:

• Stains/Streaks. These indicate water damage. It could be due to missing or loose shingles. 
• Rotting. Telltale signs of this type of damage would be rotten, missing, broken tiles/shingles, or moldy buildup on a group of tiles or shingles.
• Decay. Decay and cracking are common to shingle roofs. Look for spots with missing shingles, as well as places with shingles that are cracking, curling, or buckling. 

What Preventive Measures Can I Take To Keep My Nashville Roof In Good Shape?

• Conduct regular inspections of all parts of your roofing.
• If you see missing or loose shingles or tiles, call your general contractor and get them replaced right away. 

• Make sure your gutters are free of debris by having them cleaned out after heavy weather seasons. Debris and dirt can be heavy and cause your gutters to pull away from your building, sending water down inside your walls. 

• Fortunately, algae growth and buildup are not a typical indication that you need to repair or replace your roof. Instead, moss is more of just an eyesore to your roof and one that is extremely common in humid geographic regions. DIY Tip: Grab your garden house and spray it forcefully; this should remove most of it. If you still need some extra help removing it, you could use a weak hydrogen peroxide solution mixed with water to “burn” away any persistent algae. Your general contractor can also help you if you find yourself with an issue that you can’t resolve yourself.

Ascension General Contractors are your roofing repair specialists. Whether the roof of your home or business needs to be replaced entirely or you need a few shingles here and there, our experienced, dependable, licensed, insured, and fully-bonded staff can get the job done right! Our highly experienced team is reliable, licensed, insured, and fully bonded so that you can have confidence in our workmanship.