Home Improvement

How To Fix A Hole In The Roof

A hole of any shape or size in your house’s roof is always bad news, and you should get rid of the hole by calling a roof repair service as soon as possible. You can easily detect holes and cracks in your roof by following the below mentioned tips. Usually, you should conduct an inspection on your roof after every heavy rain or snowfall to see if it has been damaged.

Reasons For Holes In Your Roof

Here are some of the most common reasons why holes might form in your house’s roof.

Damage Due To Trees

If you have trees around your house, or in your neighborhood, heavy wind might cause them to fall on your house’s roof. This can cause a hole to form on the roof. You can detect the holes made because of this easily as branches usually fall in the case of severe storms.

During Removal Of Satellite Dish

One of the common reasons for holes in your roof can be because of satellite dish removal. When you remove the satellite dish and decide to remove the mount attached to your house as well, you’ll have small holes left behind on your roof because of the attachment screws used to attach the mount with your roof.

Because Of Rust

If you have a roof made of metal, it will eventually get rusted with time, and this rust can cause holes to form in your roof. Similarly, a wooden roof might rot over time, causing holes to form it in.

Holes Because Of Nails

When you’re doing a DIY project, you might remove some nails if they aren’t placed correctly. This might not seem like a big deal at first, but this can cause a big trouble as well.

Seal Holes In Your Roof

There are many types of penetrations in your roof, like skylights, chimneys and vents, and others which should be sealed properly. If this seal is broken, your roof will be open to lots of different troubles because of the hole made.

Subpar Roof Repairs

Low quality roof repairs can also cause lots of damage to your roof. An inefficient roofing expert can cause many holes to be made on your roof, and might be unable to fix those holes properly, which causes further damage to your roof.

What A Hole Can Do To Your Roof?

Even a single hole in your roof can cause lots of damage, and that’s why you shouldn’t leave even the tiniest hole in your roof untreated.

Here are the dangers of having a hole in your roof.

It Can Damage The Roofing Material

When a hole is left untreated in your roof, it eventually causes moisture to seep in through it. If you leave the hole as it is, the issue will only worsen over time. Your roofing material might suffer from irreparable damage.

Gives Access To Animals

A big enough hole in your roof can give access to different types of animals like mice, squirrels and raccoons. They can further damage the inside of your roof by digging for more space.

If this condition is left untreated, your roof will soon need a very expensive repair.

Can Cause Health Problems

Moisture getting into the roof will eventually cause mold and mildew to grow inside the roof. This can affect the air inside your house, and can be bad for people with asthma and other breathing problems.

How To Repair A Hole In Your Roof?

Hiring an expert for roof repair should always be your priority. However, you can also do DIY repairs (if you must) under certain circumstances.

  • Here are some circumstances in which you can repair the hole in your roof by yourself.
  • The hole is very small and easy to access.
  • Your roof is within its expected lifetime (it is usually 20 years).
  • You have prior experience of roof repair, and have all the necessary tools available.

Here are some simple steps to follow for roof repair.

  • Make sure you have worn all the safety equipment.
  • Remove some shingles from around the damaged area.
  • Remove the damaged wood and cut a square shaped hole in the roof for easy replacement of wood.
  • Patch the area with plywood of the same thickness, and cover the area with new shingles.

You can also hire roofing repair companies for fixing holes in the roof as a proper roof repair solution.

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