Everything You Need to Know About Your Roof

When you buy a home, you may be surprised by how many new things you need to learn about.

That sound that wakes you in the middle of the night? It could be the furnace.

The rattling on a windy day? Probably the windows.

Your roof is one part of your home that's out of sight and usually out of mind. But don't worry, we'll give you a quick overview of roof basics so you can take care of the asset that protects all of your other assets.

Things You Didn’t Know Were Damaging Your Roof

Did you know that simple mistakes can cut the lifespan of your 30-year shingles in half?

In Oklahoma, hot summers and freezing winters make it even worse.

Here are four things that many homeowners do without realizing that it’s damaging their roof:

Christmas Lights

We probably see this mistake the most. A lot of homeowners will get on their roofs and nail Christmas lights into the shingles, but these nail holes can cause leaks.

Foot Traffic

Foot traffic can damage your roof’s UV granulation, which protects it from the sun. If anyone is on your roof, make sure they don’t scrape their feet or drag tools along the shingles or it can rub off the protective granulation.

Poor Ventilation

If your roof doesn’t have proper ventilation, it’ll make your air conditioning costs skyrocket in the summer. In the winter, it can be an even bigger issue if it causes ice dams. These happen when the inside of your attic gets warm, while the edges stay frozen, causing water to pool up.

Roof ventilation image courtesy of Owens Corning

Gutter Cleaning

Be careful when you get on your roof to clean your gutters. Some homeowners make the mistake of scraping their shingles or using an unstable ladder, hurting both their roof and themselves.

For more information on common roof damages and how you can avoid them, you can read further in our article here.

Signs That Your Roof Has A Leak

Most roof leaks aren’t like in the movies — you probably won’t wake up with water gushing through your ceiling. Here are the real signs:

For more signs that your roof has a leak, check out our full article. If you see any of these signs or suspect that your roof has damage that could cause a leak, call us to schedule a free roof inspection today.

Picking The Right Material For Your New Roof

Have you thought about which materials you might want for your new roof?

You may be surprised to hear that there’s more to your roof than just the shingles.

Here’s are the essential layers that make up your complete roofing system:

When you replace your roof, most insurance policies will only replace it with one of the same quality as your current roof. In some cases, it may be in your best interest to upgrade to a higher-quality roof.

Check out our full article on picking your roof materials to learn when, why, and how to make the upgrade.

What’s The Purpose Of Homeowner’s Insurance?

On average, a new roof costs 10% of the value of your home. That’s a lot. An insurance policy can make it easier to pay for a new roof or repairs without breaking the bank.

To learn more about the real value and purpose of a homeowner’s policy, check out our full article here. In it, we answer some common questions about insurance, like:

Why you need homeowner’s insurance
Whether your rates go up if you file a claim
If you have to pay your deductible
Who your insurance company make the claim check out to
Whether your insurance company will cover the full cost of the new roof, or if you’ll pay some out of pocket

The 2 Types Of Insurance

There are two types of homeowner’s policies, actual cost value (ACV) and replacement cost value (RCV).

An ACV policy takes the value of your roof before the damage occurred and replaces it for what it’s worth now. It’s important to keep in mind that it will factor in the depreciation of your roof, so older roofs won’t be worth as much as newer roofs.

RCV policies cover the full cost to replace your current roof with something similar, without factoring in depreciation.

Which is better for you? It depends.

Let’s say you have a 10-year-old roof and a full replacement will cost you $20,000. The graphic below shows you the difference in what you’ll pay with each type of policy.

To learn more about the pros and cons of each policy, check out our full article here.

Do I Have To Pay My Deductible?

In Oklahoma and Texas, it’s required by law that you pay your insurance deductible when you file an insurance claim.

If a contractor says they’ll pay the deductible for you, beware!

They run a business and have to make a profit, so they’re going to be recovering that cost somehow. In many cases, they choose low-quality materials or do shoddy work. To learn other warning signs of untrustworthy contractors, check out our full article here.

Will My Rate Go Up If I File A Claim?

Your insurance company cannot raise your rates if you file a legitimate claim.

There are instances where your rates can go up, though, whether you file a claim or not. Let’s unpack that a bit.

Rates can go up depending on the intensity of storms in your area in a given season. For example, if one of the suburbs around OKC got a lot of hail in one spring, insurance rates will increase for everyone in that area, even those who do not file an insurance claim.

If you’d like to learn more about homeowner’s insurance basics, read our article about insurance claims here.

How To Extend The Life Of Your Roof

There are natural factors that are outside of your control, but there are plenty of things you do have control over when it comes to your roof. Here are our top five roof care recommendations:

Make Sure You Have Proper Ventilation

We’ve said this once, but we cannot stress enough how important it is. If you’re wondering if your attic has proper ventilation, you can schedule a free roof inspection with 1907 today.

Clip On Christmas Lights

Nailing anything into your shingles can introduce water into your roofing system.

Don’t Void Your Warranty

The more expensive your purchase is, the more valuable a warranty is. Read our article here to see common ways people will accidentally void their warranty.

Check Rubber Seals Around Pipes

Every pipe that comes out of your roof should have a rubber seal around it. These rubber seals help keep water from seeping into the inner layers of your roof.

Schedule An Annual Inspection

Not everyone has the time to learn everything there is to know about a roof. If you’re wondering if your roof is at risk, call 1907 today for a free inspection.

If you’re interested in seeing what else you can do, see our article on how to extend the life of your roof here.

What To Expect When Working With 1907

What’s it like to get a new roof? Here are the 9 steps to expect when you work with 1907 on a roof replacement:

Schedule your inspection
After the inspection, we’ll prepare an inspection report
Next, if the damage is significant, we’ll help you file your insurance claim.
Your 1907 Project Manager will meet with you and the adjuster to make sure your insurance claim is approved for all of the actual damage your roof sustained.
Insurance approves your claim. Your insurance will send you a notification that they’ve approved your claim and for how much.
Choose your new roof materials.
Schedule your installation date.
Roof install/repair days. (For many homes, we install the new roof in just 1 day!)
Inspection of the new roof. We’ll go back and double-check our work to make sure everything is in place.

If you’d like more detail about each step of the roof replacement process. Check out our full article here.

Why Choose 1907?

We make getting your new roof easy.

Your 1907 Project Manager will be there for you every step of the way, from the initial inspection to the installation. We’ll never push you into upgrades you don’t need and we’ll always do high-quality work.

If you’d like to learn more about working with our company and what our past customers have to say about our service, read our full article here.

Is It Time For Your Free Roof Inspection?

Whether you want to learn what you can do to extend the life of your roof or you’ve just survived the storm of the century, get in touch for a free roof inspection.

We’ll help you understand the current condition of your roof and what you can do to make sure it keeps protecting what matters most — your family.