The roof is the highest part of the house. It covers the whole building and everyone living in it. It also protects you and your family from things like hail, heat, rain, snow, and wind—all of which may contribute to its deterioration. This is why cleaning and maintaining your roof is important. Aside from the elements, poor maintenance is one of the primary causes of roof damage.
But just so you know, a home’s foundation can contribute to roof damage as well. We know that a home’s foundation is important to the stability of the entire home structure. If its foundation isn’t solid or well-built, chances are an entire home is bound to experience problems.
For instance, the condition of a home’s foundation may directly affect the condition of its roof. Roof damage can cause all sorts of problems, ranging from leaks to a full-on collapse. It can also affect a home’s value. It can be quite expensive to fix roof damage, so to avoid having to deal with it, you should pay attention to the foundation of your home. Here’s what to look out for to avoid roof damage:
Water Drainage
Let’s start with water drainage. It is said to be the most common cause of foundation problems. Water drainage can lead to expansive soil problems. The water tends to wash away part of the soil, which supports the foundation. If this continues to happen, chances are the foundation will become rather weak. Now, this constant contraction and expansion of clay soils will affect the foundation and eventually cause roof damage as a result.
Extensive Tree Roots
It’s important as well to pay attention to surrounding trees with extensive root systems. If you have trees with invasive root systems in your garden, you should know that they can cause foundation issues. Examples of such trees are the American elm, hybrid poplars, silver maples, and willows. Typically, you pay attention to branches, fruit, and twigs because they can fall off trees and onto your roof, damaging it. But you should also pay attention to the roots of a tree because they can damage your foundation from below by causing it to shrink. When the foundation of a home shrinks, its roof will also begin to experience problems.
Foundation Cracks
Cracks in the foundation of a home are not to be taken lightly, as they are symptoms of a bigger problem. There are four types of foundation cracks that you should be aware of: step cracks (seen on the wall’s exterior above the foundation), horizontal cracks (typical in concrete block and brick foundations), diagonal cracks (running from about 30 to 75 degrees from vertical on the wall), and vertical cracks (brought about by concrete compression and tension). How does this affect the roof? Foundation cracks occur because of soil movement, which makes the foundation shaky over time and leads to all sorts of roof problems.
Floor Level
Ideally, the entire floor should be level. To check if your floor level is consistent, use a tennis ball and see if it rolls. Obviously, the ball won’t roll on a level floor. But if it does, chances are your entire flooring is misaligned. The faster it moves, the worse the underlying problem is. This is why sometimes doors won’t close properly because of uneven flooring. The bottom line is, uneven flooring indicates a poor foundation, which translates into potential roof damage. If you’re looking for a roofing service to schedule an inspection with, CMS Roofing is your best option. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help.