A sagging roof can be a scary sight for homeowners. What is causing it? How will this affect your home? It doesn't mean your home's roof will collapse right away, but you do need a roofing professional's expert assessment.
A sagging roof can come from many different factors, but the one takeaway you should know upfront is that delaying repairs worsens the problem. Quick action can save you money!
This article will cover two of the most common causes and what our experts do when encountering this issue. If you have any questions or concerns after reading this blog post, please feel free to contact us!
The signs of a sagging roof are reasonably obvious. When looking at a roof, if the ridge of your roof is depressed in the middle or if the shingles form a depression, you have a sagging roof.
From the inside, the areas of a sagging roof will be encroaching into the attic space. Even a minor depression will present as bowed when viewed from underneath.
It's not uncommon for piles of displaced material—such as roof particles or excess dust—to accumulate beneath the areas your sagging roof has changed from the original shape.
Damage to the roof gives water a path into the underlying structure. From there, it seeps in and damages the underlying system, creating the perfect conditions for a sagging roof.
There are multiple points along the drainage path where damage can occur. The shingles must allow for proper runoff, the flashing has to maintain a tight seal, and the gutters must flow.
Even poor roof ventilation can lead to water damage, which can lead to sagging When water builds up in your attic due to ventilation issues, mold is also a potential problem.
Excess weight from snow is what most people think of when they think about sagging roof causes. Roofs handle a certain amount of weight by design, and when snow accumulates and stays on the roof for an extended period, a sagging roof occurs.
Snow accumulation isn't a problem in warmer climates, but it can cause some real headaches in Dayton.
Related is when a poorly designed or installed roof sags because of weight they should be able to tolerate. For example, if there are underlying issues on your roof and you walk on it, this could lead to a sagging roof.
Common repairs for sagging roofs related to weight are installing new rafters in the affected area or replacing the sheathing with a sturdier choice.
Dealing with a sagging roof caused by water damage requires addressing the cause of the water damage in the first place. Your roofing contractor will inspect the roof and discover where the issues are, then repair these deficiencies.
Sometimes, fixing the sagging roof requires installing angled braces to shore up the rafters. For more intensive instances, your roofing contractor might raise the roof before installing reinforcements.
In the most extreme cases, only a roof restoration or replacement can fix the problem. What's the difference between the two services? Roof restoration saves the functional portions of your roof while replacing the affected area, and replacement is an entirely new roof.
Restoration is generally for roofs less than twenty years old. Since most roofs need complete replacement every 25-30 years, a roof restoration on an older roof doesn't make economic sense in the long run. Your roofing contractor can guide you in the best course of action.
A sagging roof results from a lack of structural integrity in your roof, caused by either water or excess weight. In some cases, you can blame age-related wear and tear; other times, it might just come down to improper installation from an inexperienced contractor or shoddy materials.
The key is making sure you contact your local roofing contractor as soon as possible so that they can identify the cause and repair the problem. Even a slight shape change can get worse with neglect, and a minor repair or restoration can turn into a full-scale replacement if ignored long enough.
If you have a sagging roof in the Dayton, Ohio area or surrounding suburbs, give Possert Construction a call or reach out via the form on our contact page. Our roofing contractors have decades of experience and can help get your roof back to proper functioning, so you can live your life worry-free about the elements getting into your home from above!
