Nothing makes the fabric of a house deteriorate faster than a leaky roof--timber supports begin to rot and can eventually lead to total collapse. To prevent this dire damage, make sure roof repair is one of your top priorities.

The Cost-effectiveness of Roof Repair

If you have a damaged roof or missing roof tiles, wind and rain can get into the structure of your home and quickly cause all sorts of problems. With the high cost of structural damage, it's far cheaper in the long run to keep your roof in good repair--even at the expense of not doing other work on your home. If you don't make roof repairs at the first sign of damage, rot can take hold and lead to expensive damage in just a year's time.

Give Your Roof a Checkup

To prevent these expensive repairs, make sure you give your roof a regular checkup. No, you don't have to climb up there to get a good look (unless you want to)--a pair of binoculars can help you assess your need for roof repair. When you take a closer look, you might find that your roof repairs are limited to replacing just one or two missing roof tiles, or you might find you need to have re-pointing work on your chimneys.

When checking for roof repairs that need to be done, it makes sense to check for other jobs on your home's exterior that could be done at the same time, since most roof repair and replacement companies will want to erect scaffolding for your roof repairs.

Roof Repair Checklist

On a regular basis, check your home to see if these roof and other exterior repairs need to be done:

• Repairing or replacing flashing round chimney stacks
• Re-pointing chimneys
• Replacing missing or cracked roof tiles
• Repairing slipped roof tiles
• Replacing or repairing your television antenna and/or satellite dish
• Cleaning or repairing clogged or damaged guttering
• Re-painting
• Repairing dislodged coping tiles or missing mortar
• Repairing seals that are not intact around windows set into your roof
• Repairing bargeboards
• Removing birds' nests in chimney pots

If you find you have more than one roof or exterior repair that needs to be done, it makes sense to get them all done at the same time rather than multiplying the cost with repeated scaffolding fees and other repair charges.

About the Author
Sarah Christensen has a wealth of experience in home improvements and DIY. Sarah graduated from King's College, University of London with a degree in Chemistry and Business Studies.