To roof or not to roof, that is the question

Hello everyone:

Your roof is probably something you never think about, unless it is leaking. Angie’s list says that, if your roof is more than 20 years old, you probably need to replace it. How old is your roof?

When did you move into the house? Did your hubby ever talk about replacing it? Look through any receipts he had for the house. You may find one that tells you when the roof was last replaced. Did he keep a calendar of home repairs? You might find the information there.

Next, look at the overall condition of the roof. Do you see any shingles that are curled or missing? Can you see daylight through your ceiling? You need to get the roof checked out.  The problem here is in knowing who to call. In a perfect world, your husband would have left you a list of electricians, plumbers, carpenters, house painters, roof repairmen, and the like, but the world (as you may have noticed) is far from perfect.

Instead, find a trusted friend who knows something about home repair or a real estate agent who does foreclosure work and ask him or her for the name of someone to call. Do not ask your friend to do the work. Please understand that your friend may be very well-meaning, but an incompetent friend who takes on the job himself is almost worse than a poor contractor. You can fire a poor contractor but how do you fire a friend? My point exactly.

By the way, I have a single friend who likes to do home repair inexpensively, but this is not always a good idea. They say that “you get what you pay for” and this is certainly true in the world of home repair. The guy driving down the street that knocks on your door saying he has leftover stuff from another job and can fix your roof/driveway/anything else is not the place to find a good handyman.

My friend hired the least expensive guy around and it took him 6 months to make her bathroom ready for company (he gutted it) but there is still a problem with the leaky shower and it still isn’t fixed, 8 months later. He started re-doing her siding one year ago. The job is 1/3 done.

I hope this helps give you some guidance into the wonderful world of roofs. It is also a tactful reminder that winter is on its way and your roof needs to be in good condition before it arrives.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

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