Prevent Damage by Maintaining Roof and Exteriors

Maintaining your roofing and home's exterior is important so it can last a long time and so it can continue to protect your family. Between regular inspections with your Dallas roofer, be sure to keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Other exterior maintenance items would include things like your gutters, doors, and even your driveway. 

Preventive Maintenance For Roofing and Exteriors 
All matter breaks down over time. The structures that surround us today are no exception to that law of physics. Some building materials are more durable than others, like stone and steel, but unfortunately the days of structures surviving thousands of years, like the Egyptian pyramids and Roman cathedrals, is over. Preventive maintenance of building exteriors is more important than ever.

“Every building or structure should have a preventive maintenance program in place for its exterior components,” says Mark Sheehan of Western Specialty Contractors Facades Division, a national specialty contractor based in St. Louis, MO. “How extensive the program needs to be will depend directly on the size of the building, number of different materials and components, geographic location, and personnel available to keep it updated.”

A preventive maintenance program consists of two major parts—the inspection and the execution. During inspection, some of the more complex structures may require special access and assistance from a contractor. However, for most structures, an in-house maintenance crew—with a little bit of training—is capable of doing the job.

“When performing the inspection, it is extremely important to document the findings and keep them in a consistent format from year to year. It is also necessary to inspect any work that has recently been performed as those repairs may still be under warranty,” says Sheehan. Specific items to inspect and document include the following.

Gutters, drains, downspouts, drainage, roof. Decaying leaves, pine needles, and dirt runoff can all contribute to ponding water and clogged gutters and downspouts. It is essential that all roof drains remain clear of obstructions. In addition to risk of water pouring into the occupied spaces should a breach in the roof occur, freezing and thawing of ponding water during the fall and winter months can cause extensive roof damage.

Building control and expansion joints. Like any other element of a structure, its controls and expansion joints can become damaged. Evidence of damage includes warping, cracking, leaking water, loosening screws and building settlement or moving.

Walking/driving surfaces. When water infiltrates concrete, it can freeze, causing the water to occupy 9% more volume than in its liquid state. This expansion causes distress on the concrete, which can lead to fractures that will continue to grow exponentially as saturation of the material increases. Cracks, spalls, rust spots, deterioration, potholes and heaves are all signs of damage.

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First Posted on: Prevent Damage by Maintaining Roof and Exteriors