Roofs need to be fixed from time to time. It’s a hassle, but it needs to be taken care of. So, are you going to do it yourself or hire a professional?
DIY
Although some people won’t be interested in doing the work themselves, it is possible to do it if you want to. It’s important to know how to plan things safely and know what you’re doing when you get up there though. Common sense things like making the area clean and moving cars and people from around the area where the work is being done are often forgotten. There’s a possibility that tiles could slide off the roof and damage your property or, even worse, a person.
Safety is important for you too. A harness is vital to make sure you don’t fall and seriously injure yourself. If you’re completely replacing your roof, you’ll need to start by tearing off the old roof to expose what’s underneath. You could find anything under there. It might be rotten wood or old decking. If it’s in poor condition, you’ll then have to remove whatever’s there and lay down fresh decking.
Then you have to lay the new tiles, but this isn’t as easy as it might sound. It’s not particularly expensive though. All you need is a set of tiles and a nail gun to secure them in place. Follow a detailed online guide to this part of the process so that you don’t make any major mistakes. If you know what you’re doing, going down the DIY route will save you a lot of money because all you’ll have to pay for is the materials you use.
Hiring a Pro
Hiring a professional company that specialises in roofing is the much safer option, no matter what benefits there are of doing the work by yourself. You might see yourself as a bit of a DIY master, but you probably can’t rival a roofing expert who does this work every day in terms of skills and ability. Yes, it might be a little more expensive, but you get what you pay for, and the quality of the finish will be much greater.
That kind of quality can make a big difference in the long-term. Having a great looking and safe roof will add value to your home if it comes to eventually putting your property on the market. One of the best investments you can make in your home is the roofing. You’ll be surprised how much the value will rise by improving the exterior of your home. This is because the exterior of the house is the part of it most people see, and it’s the first thing they see when they arrive at the property.
Safety has to be your main focus though. If you use a company like Iron River Construction, they’ll be able to make sure that nobody in your family, or anybody passing the home, is hurt by falling material. They have the kinds of safety equipment and regulations that you wouldn’t be able to match if you did the work yourself.
Each option has its pros and cons. But you should focus on safety and security if you do decide to undertake the work by yourself.
We hired a roofer to do the project for us because both my husband and I are terrified of heights. I think it was worth the expense for not having to get up on a tall 2-story house. We’re both kind of clumsy, so we think the expense was worth the mitigated risk!
Another important consideration if your want to re-roof your house is if you have the tools for the job. Depending on what kind of roof you have, it might be less expensive to hire a professional roofer to do the work for you. Another consideration is what kind of storage space you have in your home for the equipment. If you don’t have a place to safely keep everything, hiring out the work might be your best option.