North Texas Roofing

Weather is a common culprit behind North Texas roofing problems. Whether you have a storm damaged roof, a wind damaged roof, or a roof damaged by a falling tree, you need to act quickly to minimize the damage to your roof and to the inside of your home.

What You Should do While Waiting for the Professionals

Start with the inside. Check the entire house, including closets, for signs of leaks. Any items that are getting wet should be moved or covered with plastic sheeting. Position buckets underneath dripping leaks.

If your ceiling is bulging due to built up water, place a bucket underneath the lowest hanging part of the bulge. Carefully punch a hole in the center with a screwdriver. This will relieve pressure on your ceiling, and helps prevent the entire ceiling from collapsing.

Checklist for Hiring Dedicated Roofing Experts

Verify that the North Texas roofing contractor has a permanent business address, business telephone, tax identification number, and is properly licensed.
Examine the contractor’s liability insurance and worker’s compensation certificates.
Check the contractor’s references by calling his past customers and asking if they were satisfied with both the materials used and the quality of workmanship.
Get a written estimate, including starting and completion dates, before you write a check.

Inspect Your Roof From the Ground

Once you have the inside of your home secured, you can evaluate the damage from the outside. If your North Texas roofing professional is swamped with calls and will be delayed getting to your home, you might consider temporary emergency repairs on your own.

Avoid walking on your roof if possible, particularly if the storm is still raging. Wet tiles are slippery, and a strong wind could cause you to fall. If your roof has been severely weakened, you might even fall through.

Use binoculars to look for torn or missing pieces. If your roof is made of asphalt or wood shingles, check for protruding nails. Flat roofs should be checked for bald spots and standing pools of water.

Pay close attention to the flashing around vents, chimneys and all wall junctions with the roof. Any cracks and breakdowns of the flashing material is a likely source of leaks.

What You Need to Know About Homeowner’s Insurance

North Texas roofing damage is covered by your homeowner’s insurance policy. What is usually not covered is damage from flooding or rising water. If you live in an area that may be prone to flooding, ask your insurance agent for a quote on flood insurance that will reimburse you for losses to your home and furnishings.

Make sure that your insurance policy will adequately protect you against loss. Your insurance agent should review your policy once a year to make sure that your coverage will provide the protection you need. Remember, most policies provide only limited reimbursement for losses to jewelry, art, and antiques. Keep an updated list of your personal possessions, including your purchase date and price.

Many insurance companies require you to make reasonable efforts at emergency repairs to minimize damage to your home and possessions. Keep all receipts and take photos that support your repair efforts.

Emergency North Texas Roofing Repair

If your roof inspection indicates only isolated areas of damage, and no widespread roof damage or collapse, make those repairs that you feel comfortable and safe doing. Wear rubber-soled shoes to avoid slipping. Work from the edges of your roof, and keep off your roof as much as possible.

Cover larger holes in your roof with plastic sheeting. You can secure the plastic with roofing nails, or weight it down with bricks or rocks. If you have wood readily available, you could wrap the plastic between lengths of 2 by 4s and nail the wood to the roof instead.

Small holes can be patched with roofing cement. Use a small gardening-type trowel or spade to spread the cement evenly.

If the recent storms have left your roof a little worse for wear, contact RS Roofing first.

Call 817-602-8840