Roof Restoration or Roof Maintenance. What is the Difference?

Let’s have a look at the different types of roof repairs and general maintenance that you will need over the life of your roof and how they are applied.

We all know that there is a difference between general maintenance and having to replace your roof but the decision between roof replacement and roof restoration may not be quite so clear.

Roof maintenance is carried out throughout the life of your roof. It can involve finding the cause and fixing small leaks, dislodged tiles, gutters overflowing, downpipes leaking, water back flowing into your roof cavity and many other reasons for water entering your home.

All of these general problems can be investigated and generally fixed by a good tradesman but occasionally the problems with your roof becomes so large that it is impractical and impossible to actually fix the problems and then you are left with the decision of whether to replace your roof or can you call a roof restoration company and get a quick fix.

The Difference Between the Two is Vast

In the opinion of Sydney Roof, a roof Restoration Company is a cosmetic fix. Their main reason to be there is to paint your roof and to make it look nice. This is great if you are interested in just the aesthetics of your roof from ground level. Their expertise is not in fixing your roof’s problems. Some will replace the bed and pointing or replace a few tiles but their investigation into any other roof leak problems can be very limited, leaking is not their expertise, nor do they claim it is.

There is a place for Roof Restoration. If your roof is fine and not leaking and you are looking to change and update the look of your roof then roof painting may be right for you.

Roof maintenance is completely different. A roof investigation is carried out by an experienced roof repairer who knows what they are looking for when looking for the cause of your leak.

They have the experience to know what can cause leaks and how to fix them. Roof repairers look after all types of roofs from Tiles to Metal, Guttering, and Downpipes, Skylights, and Roof Domes anything above the guttering is their domain. A good roof investigation will give you all of the information you need to make an informed decision on what you need to do to fix your leaks.

Sometimes the information is not what you want to hear.

There are instances where the only solution is to replace the roof.

Some roofs look fine from the ground level and the tradesman may tell you that you need a whole new roof. This can be very confusing if you haven’t been on the roof itself. On the roof, you see a different story to the one seen from the footpath. Tiles fray and become porous, they lift and crack, tiles are so old they can no longer keep out the water, metal rusts and flashings fail, gutters rust, valley trays rust out also. Box gutters are notorious for leaking and you may not even realise you have one in your roof until you have a serious roof leak.

Some of these problems may be able to be seen from ground level but many may be going on without your knowledge. Sometimes when the tradesman investigates your roof they may come across enough of these and other problems that it can be impractical to fix your roof. That’s when you may be looking at a roof replacement.

Although no-one wants to hear this news you are now armed with the information and estimate you need to make an informed decision and to be able to fix your roofing needs.