El Niño Fears Keeping Roofers Busy

by Scarlett Morgan Interior Designer/ Blogger

There have been El Niño false alarms in the past, but this time, meteorologists are certain this is the year of El Niño, when weather will be especially extreme. Because of the nature of the industry, roofers are used to huge swings between being busy and having almost no work whatsoever. Certain times of the year tend to be busy while other times are slow. After a big storm, they’re especially busy. But because of the impending El Niño, roofers are even more busy than usual as homeowners rush to prepare their roofs for stormy weather.

Roofers are having to put in a lot of overtime and many contractors are hiring anyone with roofing experience to keep up with the demand. While this is good news for the roofing industry, it’s also good for homeowners who really ought to be paying this kind of their attention to their roofs every year just before winter and not just when the threat of El Niño is looming.

The Importance of Roof Inspections

According to roofing experts, homeowners should be having their roofs inspected annually regardless of predicted storms. It’s recommended that roofs be inspected every year before winter hits and perhaps even a second time after winter has passed. Whether this year’s El Niño will really come or not, homeowners should be prepared because even regular winter weather can take a serious toll on a roof that isn’t in good shape.

Though homeowners should already be keeping an eye on their roof and looking for signs of damage, an annual roof inspection performed by a qualified roofer is still important. The roofer will get on the roof and look more closely than a homeowner can from across the street with a pair of binoculars. The roofer can also spot less obvious signs of roofing damage, like roofing shingle granule loss or gaps in the flashing.

The Importance of Roof Maintenance

Of course, simply having your roof inspected won’t always be enough. In the event the roofer does find any vulnerabilities in your roof system, you’re going to want to have those problems taken care of. Winter is the time of year when the weather can turn a minor roofing problem into a major one, a small leak into thousands of dollars in water damage.

Many roofers will do the roof inspection for free and that will include a free quote of what it’s going to cost for any needed maintenance. It’s a good idea to take the roofer up on that. After all, it’s cheaper to perform regular maintenance on your roof that to have to spend thousands replacing it early or cleaning up after water damage.

Home improvement news brought to you by bartonroof.com
Source: latimes.com/business/la-fi-el-nino-roofers-20151110-story.html