Would you buy a home with apparent water damage? Most likely, you wouldn’t even consider it unless this was a truly great offer in your favorite neighborhood and the problem was limited to a rather easy water damage restoration.
But do you know what? Sometimes, water damage is not obvious at first glance. Water may be in the process of traveling throughout the structure without leaving apparent marks behind, yet. And then, you move in just to see the once scarce ceiling or wall discolorations spread, getting intense, becoming a threat.
To make the bad news worse, water damage often stems from the roof. The reasons are plenty – old roof, broken flashing, missing shingles, damaged underlayment and components. Did you check the roof before you bought the house?
Let’s assume that you missed the part where you must call in the troops to evaluate the condition of the home you are planning to buy. Isn’t it best to call in some pros to check the roof instead of coming face to face with a leak, having to go through the restoration process, dealing with all the water damage clean up process?
Yes, getting water damage restoration service is easy. But wouldn’t it be best if you could confine the problem to just some discolorations instead of mold infestations?
Repercussions of water damage due to roof leaks
The least of your problems is wall and ceiling discolorations. But then again, the color is changing because the material is wet which means that there’s water all around. Have you thought what that can do to all structural materials? They can be entirely ruined. And when we are talking about structural materials, we mean the roof components, the building’s foundations, etc. So, what can a roof leak do?
• Building damage that would affect the integrity of the structure.
• Full saturation of materials, especially wood.
• Increased humidity indoors and eventually, mold growth and spread.
• Electrical problems and damage – hence, possible fire hazards.
In short, you may not only need water damage restoration, but also fire damage restoration. You may be forced to replace the roof. You may deal with mold, which is bad for the health and grows fast, spreads faster.
Don’t despair! Take action to avoid a complete rebuild
Are you feeling despaired? Don’t be. Yes, you can easily find a water damage restoration company and yes, you can deal with all above problems, but they are disasters. Aren’t they? And while you cannot change the fact that you already bought the home without checking the roof – one architectural element that is often the source of water leakage, you can still have the roof checked the moment you move in – just to be sure. Even if there’s a problem, it’s best to deal with a possible leakage before it becomes a severe water damage – with all the repercussions that come with it.
Wait a minute! Can you check the roof? Or should you check for indoor water damage?
Don’t climb on your roof, even if you are young and fit. Prefer to call a roofer. Now, if you want to have an idea of whether or not there might be a roof problem which might lead to a leak, check the indoors. It’s easier and would give you a pretty good idea of whether there’s already some leak or not. What can you do?
• Check for structural damage. No need to see something entirely destroyed to assume there’s a water leak. A ceiling discoloration or some sagging ceiling sections are more than enough evidence.
• Focus on details, corners, all ceilings, visit the attic. When water starts seeping due to roof damage, the first place it usually visits is the attic.
• Let your senses speak to you. Follow bad odors. Whether there’s humidity due to water or already some mold infestations, you will smell it. Open your eyes and inspect for discolorations. Touch the walls and, if possible, the ceilings – particularly in the attic, to feel if they are wet. Pay attention to funny sounds. Sometimes and when water is still traveling, you may hear it.
