Fall is the Season for Roofing

By John Sanchez, Goodrich Roofing

We roofers have been known to weather all sorts of bad weather to ensure that your roof is up and running and that your home and household are safe and dry. But while most of us are ready and willing to go the distance to address the needs of our clients, we, like the rest of the working world, find it easier to do our best work when conditions are ideal. Fortunately for you, plenty of roofers all across America read “ideal work conditions” as one thing: fall.

Why Fall?

Technically speaking, there’s nothing stopping you from getting roofing work done all year round. Nothing, that is, short of truly extreme weather. It’s mostly just a matter of determining whether current conditions in your area will allow us to do our work properly and safely.

It’s important to keep in mind that roofing work is outdoor work and that the quality of the output is a function of many external factors, weather conditions included. How you define “extreme weather” may vary depending on which state you’re from, but as a general rule, fall falls in a sweet spot in terms of weather: not too hot, not too cold. Goldilocks would approve.

Here are three other good reasons to have your roofing work done this fall:

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Reason No. 1: To prep your roof for winter

Roofs receive plenty of abuse year round, but nothing takes as big a toll on your roof as winter. Remember the cold wave this past winter? That cost the United States $5 billion in property damages.

With weather forecasts saying that another polar vortex shift is coming this year, you’d be wise to plan ahead. Even the dry Southwest is starting to feel the difference in the form of increased precipitation—a reprieve in this ongoing drought, but a potentially huge problem for poorly maintained roofs.

Having your roof looked at this fall will help make sure it performs well even through the harshest of seasons.

Reason No. 2: To prevent material damage

Roofing materials can become difficult to handle, store and less install properly outside of their ideal temperature ranges.

Take asphalt shingles, for instance. The “Goldilocks” range for asphalt shingles is between 50 and 80 degrees F. They become brittle in cold weather, but when it gets too warm, they become overly pliable and are difficult to separate from the package. The asphalt coating can also soften slightly, making the material more susceptible to damage (not to mention that it makes walking on sloped roofs even more risky than it usually is!)

Reason No. 3: To save time

Repairing or installing a roof in less-than-ideal conditions means that we’ll have to take extra precautions to make sure nothing goes awry. Let’s go back to the asphalt shingle example. Hot-weather installation means us having to work around the sun for reasons of safety and comfort. That alone slows the project down. Cold-weather installation can go even slower because in order to protect your warranty, we may have to manually apply a special adhesive to each shingle.

Taking advantage of fair weather for roof repair, installation and maintenance benefits everyone. We can work more quickly and minimize downtime, plus you can get much better results in the process.

Remember that roofers aren’t weatherproof, but it’s our job to make sure that your roof is.

About John Sanchez and Goodrich Roofing
John Sanchez,  a professional roofer’s son, fell in love with the industry as well. Working side by side with his father, he has been dedicating his life to providing quality roofs to homeowners. In his free time, he likes to spend time with his family, play sports and help others. Keep an eye out for his work at: http://www.goodrichroofing.com/blog/

Note: This is a guest post; the views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Redfin.