A hole in your roof can cause a great deal of damage in a short time. This is why it is very important to always inspect your roof for damage following a storm. Regular check-ups are also recommended. If moisture is allowed to enter your roof through a hole, it can cause mould to start growing and all sorts of other damage to the bones of your home in no time.
The best way to avoid costly damage to your home through even a small hole in your roof is regular maintenance provided by a professional roofing company. This is especially true if your roof is more than five years old or you live in an area where storms are particularly common.
There are several steps to ensuring that you get the job done correctly. Here is how to patch a hole in the roof in eight steps:
Step #1: Hire a professional to patch the hole in the roof.
There are so many advantages to hiring professional roofers who know how to patch a hole in the roof. Not only will you have peace of mind that the job was done correctly the first time, but you will also have their guarantee should anything happen to their repair work within a certain amount of time.
Another great reason that you should stay off your roof is that it is dangerous to go up there without all of the right equipment and experience.
Step #2: Always wear roofing safety equipment
If you insist on patching a hole without professional step, your safety is paramount. First, you should always have all of the correct safety equipment so that you don’t get injured while on your roof. You should, of course, wear safety goggles and work boots that have excellent grip.
Plan ahead to have all of the tools that you will need to fix the hole in your roof before you climb the ladder. If you don’t already have a toolbelt you should get one so that both of your hands are free as you climb the ladder.
Step #3: Have someone hold the ladder.
When you patch a hole in the roof, you should not climb up onto your roof without someone else keeping an eye on you. Should you fall or be injured in any other way you may need someone to get help right away. This is an essential part of safely repairing any roof.
Holding the ladder is just one small part of having a spotter that can make sure that the work that you are doing up on the roof looks good from the ground. The last thing that you want is to climb down from a hard day’s work to look up and see that it looks like a dog’s breakfast.
Step #4: Remove the roof shingles around the hole.
Now that you are in place above the affected area of your roof, you need to remove the shingles surrounding the hole. You can use the claws on the back of a hammer to remove the nails and then inspect the damaged area.
This would be very easy at ground level, but on a roof you want to be careful that you don’t overextend yourself. You should never use your body weight as leverage. This is because if a nail suddenly becomes loose, you could lose your balance. Something that you should try to avoid at all costs when you’re on your roof.
Step #5: Patching the hole will require some preparation.
If the hole is not a uniform shape then you should use a saw to make it into a rectangle or square so that there are no splinters. You will then need to cut a piece of plywood that fits over the hole exactly and brace it into place from the other side.
You may need someone to help you from the inside of your home at this stage as you begin to screw the replacement roof piece in place.
Step #6: You need to tar over the patch to seal it from the elements.
Once you have done this you need to wait for the tar to dry. Be sure to do this on a day that there is no rain forecast. This might be unavoidable if you are in the midst of storm season, but even a few hours without rain will help the tar to dry properly. Once the tar is dry and the seal is solid you can move onto the next step.
Step #7: Place the replacement shingles over the hole in the roof.
You are almost done patching a hole in the roof. Your next step is to lay the tar paper and replacement shingles over the patched hole. You should match the shingle overlapping that you see over the rest of your roof ensuring that they all overlap. If the shingles are the self-adhesive kind remove the backing before nailing in place.
Step #8: Keep monitoring after you patched the hole in the roof.
Once you are done with patching a hole, in the roof, keep a watchful eye over the next few days, weeks and months on your handiwork. You should also be looking inside your attic to make sure that there is no build-up of moisture inside your home.
