It’s good practice to conduct a quick visual inspection of your roof and the interior of your home after an extreme weather event. Leaks and other signs of water damage are especially problematic as they can quickly worsen if left unattended.
Safety is always a priority after a storm. If there are any fallen power lines, lingering inclement weather or heavy debris on your roof, it would be prudent to postpone the inspection until the conditions get better. When you can, look out for these signs:
Interior: Water Stains, Discoloration and Mold
Water stains start to appear in places where water has been dripping for quite a while. Note that the location of the water stain isn’t necessarily the location of the leak on the roof; water usually follows the path of least resistance and may have simply accumulated in that area. There’s also bound to be yellowish-brown discoloration in homes with leaky roofs.
Streaks of black, blue, green or grey, on the other hand, indicate a more ominous problem: mold. The spores can aggravate the condition of people with respiratory problems. Damp spaces that are conducive to mold formation also produce a musty odor that’s similar to the smell of wet newspapers and cardboard.
Interior: Peeling Paint on Walls and Soft Wooden Floors
There’s also a chance rainwater from leaks on your roof have made its way into your walls and upper floors, causing the paint and wallpaper to peel and the wooden floors to sag. Other signs of waterlogged floors include gaps, curling floorboards and the expansion of laminated floors. Left unattended, rainwater from the leaks might even reach your siding, forcing you to undertake siding repair work.
Exterior: Cracked, Curled or Missing Shingles
Remember that safety is always a priority after any extreme weather event; as such, you should avoid using a ladder to check your roof. Instead, take a walk around your house to see if any damage is visible from ground level.
It’s always better to leave physical roof inspections to certified contractors. Apart from the fact physical roof inspections carry a relatively high degree of risk, a certain level of expertise is needed to find the signs of water damage that you might have missed.
Atlas Construction is a certified CertainTeed® ShingleMaster™ installer. We offer siding installation and gutter replacement services. To schedule an in-home consultation, call (828) 585-6010, or fill out this form.
