With the right tools, some knowledge about what you are doing, and some hard work, a home owner can do his own roof repairs without much difficulty.
There are many layers that go into the makeup of a roof, and that is needed to protect the house from season to season.
The uppermost layer is roofing material which usually is the asphalt tile. Lying underneath that is the deck, a layer of plywood. Where extreme heat is experienced, often at this level you will find a reflective panel to reflect the sun's rays and to decrease the air conditioning needs. The next layer is called underlayment and is used as a barrier to wetness, and is made of felt. Under that layer you will find aluminum strips that are positioned to guard the edges against drips.
The roofing materials that are needed are a ladder, a box cutter, nail gun, nails, a hammer and asphalt shingles. To catch the old shingles you might throw off the roof as you work, it may be a good idea to spread a tarp on the ground. Ask the assistance of a friend to help you with holding the ladder steady, and to be a help to hold or pass tools when they are needed.
To prevent large and expensive repair problems with your roof, regular maintenance is crucial. You should regularly inspect the roof for signs that repairs are in order. For example, if you should notice black spots or missing, damaged or loose shingles, you must do some minor maintenance. You should trim any tree limbs that are too close to the roof to prevent damage to the shingles, such as rubbing against the shingles and the formation of mold. The presence of black streaks will signal the presence of mold.
Shingles that already show a mold growing, should be cleaned with a cleaner specially for that problem - bleach is corrosive and should not be used. After the cleaning, installation of zinc strips along the ridge will prevent further infection. Replace any missing, damaged and old shingles.
To remove the shingle, you will just need to loosen the row just above the damaged one and pry away the damaged shingle. Next replace the shingle with a new one. If these damaged and missing shingles are not removed in a timely manner, the roof will be become more and more vulnerable. It will start to leak, and even more of the shingles will become damaged, in this way increasing the damage of the whole roof. Shingles may then be lifted off the roof by a strong wind, or bad weather will further damage them.
It is easily possible to clean a roof yourself. That job however, should be performed with shoes that have a good traction, with a harness and also a strong and sturdy ladder. Needed also is a water hose, broom, plastic bags, any tri-sodium cleaner, and brushes. Before beginning the washing, ensure that all leaks are patched and the walls are protected with plastic to prevent soiling.
Of course, if that all sounds too time consuming or beyond your physical abilities you should obtain a roofing estimate from a qualified roofing contractor.
