The roof on your Morgantown, IN, home or building should last decades with proper care. However, it isn’t unusual for the average roof to need repair at various points in its lifespan. Sometimes, necessary repairs might seem minor enough that you can handle them yourself. Unfortunately, DIY roof repair comes with risks you may not be considering. Here’s what they are.
Risk to Your Safety
The most important risk to consider regarding DIY roof repairs is the risk to your safety. According to the Centers for Disease Control, over 150,000 people in the US seek medical treatment after roofing accidents yearly. Of those, roughly 97% happen to people working on their own roofs. There are multiple reasons for that. One is that the average home or business owner lacks the tools needed for roof repair. That includes safe ladders and related safety equipment. Another reason is a lack of experience. Working on a roof safely is an acquired skill, and there are countless ways to get hurt. Without experience, you’re taking a significant risk when you attempt a DIY roof repair.
Risk of Voiding Insurance Coverage
Another risk associated with DIY roof repair is the chance that your insurer won’t pay a claim resulting from subsequent damage. Insurers weigh multiple factors during the claims adjusting process. Signs of DIY repairs on your roof will be major red flags for an adjustor. They may determine that your roof’s damage resulted from a compromised structure caused by your DIY repair. Accurate or not, that may force you to cover a major repair bill you hadn’t accounted for.
Risk of Voiding Roof Warranty
Most high-quality roofing products come with lengthy materials warranties. However, those warranties require particular installation and repair conditions. For that reason, a DIY repair may void those warranties. When you try to make a warranty claim, the manufacturer will require documentation attesting to the installation conditions. An invoice from your roofer would meet the requirement. If you’ve done the work yourself, however, the warranty won’t apply.
Risk of Repairs Taking Too Long
When your roof suffers damage, it’s crucial to repair it immediately. Every moment of delay increases the chances that the damage will spread. It also increases the odds that your home suffers follow-on damage like leaks and mold infiltration. When you try to make DIY repairs, you may take longer than necessary to solve your roof’s problems. A qualified contractor would do the job much faster, protecting your home from additional damage.
Risk of Damaging Your Roof Further
You should also consider the chance that your attempt at DIY repairs may do more harm than good. For example, did you know roofing nails require precise spacing and depth? If you get that wrong, your shingles could fail prematurely or allow water penetration. The same thing might happen if you attempt flashing repairs, but it doesn’t get done exactly right. Before you know it, you could be dealing with far more damage than you started with.
Risk of Misdiagnosis
Finally, there’s always a risk that you’ll misdiagnose your roof’s problem when attempting DIY repairs. Some roofing issues result from more serious underlying problems you lack the experience to spot. That includes issues with your roof decking and underlayment. Those kinds of problems might lead to severe structural damage to your roof. It’s essential to have your roof professionally inspected when it suffers damage for this exact reason. If you try to handle the repairs yourself, you risk covering up a more serious problem that may turn catastrophic later.
Your Trusted Local Roofer
Taylor Made Roofing & Construction, Inc. is a locally owned and family-operated Morgantown roofing contractor. With over 25 years of construction industry experience, we’re the place to call when you need roof repairs. We offer complete residential roofing and commercial roofing services and work with all roofing material types. We also provide free 16 and 20-point roof inspections. That can help you determine your roof’s near- and long-term needs. So, rather than tackling roofing repairs in Morgantown yourself, contact Taylor Made Roofing & Construction, Inc. and let us handle it for you.
