Ideally, when you should have asphalt shingles, each one should lend itself to an overall even appearance when you look at your room from the ground. Straight lines, unified angles, and a lack of pockmarks all contribute to a pleasing home exterior!
But when your shingles begin to curdle, crack, or even fade in the sun, it can leave your roof looking quite worse for wear—and unfortunately, aesthetic shingle damage isn’t always straightforward. Each type tends to have a different cause and a different solution, and without smart and accurate care, the problem can sometimes begin to snowball.
If your shingles don’t look their best, don’t fret; Midwest Exteriors MN is here to help. Below, we’ll touch on a few different types of damage that might rough up your roof, as well as what the right approach is for dealing with them.
Crooked Shingles
If you’re the detail-oriented sort, you’ll probably pick up on this issue quite quickly, but in severe cases, even more relaxed homeowners will begin to notice when the lines of their roof don’t run parallel! Your first thought may be that this is due to a poor installation job on the part of your roofing company, and occasionally, you may be right. However, there are plenty of other things that can cause this issue, so don’t phone up your roofing contractor before a thorough investigation.
For one, shifting soil underneath the home can cause perfectly straight shingles to look crooked. As your house ages and the soil beneath it shifts and settles as a result, one side of the building may begin to look lower than another, causing your shingles to look wonky when, in reality, they’re not the issue at all. In fact, if your foundation is strained, you probably have much more dire problems at hand!
Sagging or broken gutter installations can also be the culprit. When gutters fall off or pull away from a roof line, even slightly, they can make shingles that are perfectly fine look anything but.
What to Do
First, as we said above, determine that the problem is not your foundation or your gutters. For the former, check for recurring wall cracks, or use window frames and a leveler as reference points; across the home, things should be parallel to the ground. When it comes to gutters, you can usually determine their health via a quick home walkaround. Once you’ve honed in on the proper problem, then it’s time to call the proper pro!
Curling Shingles
Are your shingles starting to twist, lift, and look a bit like tortilla chips? That’s obviously not a good sign, though sometimes it can happen with age. As shingles are exposed to sunlight and weather, even the hardiest will begin to fail after their golden years. However, harsh weather can rapidly advance this process; if you’ve taken good care of your roof, but Mother Nature has other plans, things can get pretty bent out of shape.
Ventilation issues in your roof can also cause shingles to curl up. If too much warm air is trapped in your attic, your roof can be cooked from the inside out, causing shingle damage and potential structural decay. For more on this topic, check out our condo contractor blog, “The Importance of Proper Roofing Ventilation.”
What to Do
There’s no way around it; these shingles will need to be replaced. First, though, you should take care of the problem that caused the damage. Ventilation problems are tough to diagnose without the help of an experienced roofing contractor, as every roof is built differently. The vents that are necessary for one model to function, for example, may be redundant or even downright detrimental to another.
As far as storm damage goes, hire a comprehensive exterior contractor if you deem this to be the cause of your shingles’ curling. Who knows what other damage the recent foul weather has wrought!
Pockmarked Shingles
If your shingles look more like moon rocks than roofing material, nine times out of ten the issue is probably hail. This is especially true if the damage is irregular in location and circular in shape. Branches can also cause similar deterioration, though their handiwork tends to resemble scratches and scrapes, not circles.
What to Do
Lest we sound like a broken record: replace the shingles! If you’ve been dealing with hail for a while, it might be time to switch to a stronger brand like GAF. Those of you who have unruly trees: trim them back! It becomes even more of a priority when you discover that it also helps keep animal attic inhabitants out. If that’s of interest to you (and it should be to every homeowner), check out our blog, “Making Your Roof Unappealing to Winter Attic Inhabitants.”
Midwest Exteriors MN: Roofing, Siding and Gutter Experts
For one five-star company that can do it all, look no further. If your exterior needs a little sprucing up, give our Lake Elmo office a call today at 651-346-9477.