The Roof: The Most Important Element of Your House
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
By Bill Primavera
When my wife and I bought our first home in the ‘burbs, we were so naïve that I, as a licensed realtor today, am embarrassed to admit it now: We eschewed any need for a home inspection.
What were we, nuts? No, just naïve. We were looking for a home with an historic bearing and we found one, originated in 1734, with an addition in 1799 and added onto again in 1861, according to town records. Along with a nice, mature landscape, it seemed to have everything we wanted.
I remember that it was a very rainy summer that year when we were looking for a new home, and I have many memories of darting in and out of the rain in touring homes for sale.
On our first day living there, it rained and, you guessed it, the roof leaked into my daughter’s bedroom. I felt both duped and angry with the seller and called to complain, not that it did any good. He simply said, “Gee, the roof never leaked when we lived there.” Yeah, right.
Rather than removing the several layers of roofing material already in place, I made the mistake of just adding a new layer of asphalt shingle to two or three layers already there, rather than stripping the roof down to its rafters. The end result with that first roofing installation was somewhat lumpy in appearance.
Only with my second replacement some years later did I have the roof stripped down to the supporting beams. Then I had new plywood installed to achieve a foundation for a one-layer roofing material of asphalt shingles. The end result was probably the smoothest roofline that house had seen in more than 150 years.
As I learned by experience, the most important element of a house is its roof. The reason is that it protects everything inside the home. Without a solid roof, any house would eventually crumble.
While it may sound ironic, the roof, even more so than a house’s foundation, provides structural support. It keeps the whole house together. It might be considered the backbone of the house.
Most essentially, the roof protects the house (and you) from the weather. A solid roof protects the interior of the structure from the elements outside, whether it be strong winds, pouring rain or snow.
It further provides some relief on hot summer days.
A good roof helps to insulate a house and minimizes energy bills. In effect, roofing acts as a barrier against the outside world. It can help keep rooms warm during the winter and cool during the summer by preventing air from getting in or out of the house.
The condition of a roof can either raise or lower the home’s value. Whenever I list a house or recommend one to my buyer clients, I always look first at the roof. It generally is the top indicator of the overall condition of a house.
Whenever I see discoloration or moss on a roof, I always recommend a roof “shampoo” to make it presentable to potential buyers.
If it’s time for a new roof, the cost can run between $5,000 and $10,000, or even more, depending on the material selected. That includes asphalt shingles, wood shingles, slate or tin. With the roof as the most important element of a house, it’s so important to take good care of it with regular roof maintenance and roof repair.
In our area, the king of roofing seems to be Franzoso Contracting, judging from those great television commercials. They can be reached at 914-271-4572.
Bill Primavera, while a publicist and journalist, is also a realtor associated with William Raveis Real Estate and founder of Primavera Public Relations, Inc. (www.PrimaveraPR.com). To engage the services of The Home Guru to market your home for sale, call 914-522-2076.
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