When was the last time you stood on your driveway or the street and took a good, hard look at your roof? Chances are the answer is never. Most homeowners forgot to pre-emptively check for issues before they turn into bigger problems. Your roof is a big investment. It can increase or decrease your home’s value almost quicker than any other aspect of the house. Let’s look at why you should check your roof more often and what to look for.

How to Check Your Roof

Depending on the layout of your roof and home, you don’t have to do much to check out your roof. It’s a good habit to check your roof after wind and hail storms, along with any heavy rain or snow. If you see any leaks indoors or feel any drafts from the ceiling, it may be time to check your roof, too. Make it a habit. You’ll catch issues before they turn into real problems that force a complete roof replacement for your home.

When looking at your roof, you should be able to just use your eyes. In some cases, you may need a ladder to get a closer look at your roof. For the most part, just using your eyes will alert you to any general issues with your roof, such as popped up nails, missing shingles or broken tiles. From there, you can contact a local roofer and have someone come out, get up on your roof and take a closer look.

From there, they can determine what type of process is next. This can include a repair for minor issues or it can lead to a full replacement. Depending on the age of your home, and roof, a replacement might be in order. Only a roofer will be able to tell you for sure what steps need to be taken after you visually inspect your own roof. They can see things from years of experience that you might not be aware of at all.