An Often Forgotten Aspect of Home Maintaiance: Everything You Need to Know About Maintaining and Repairing Your Roofline

Keeping on top of home maintenance can be a very daunting task. Even with a small home, there’s a lot of maintenance to keep on top of, and for some reason, when one thing breaks, everything seems to go at once!

Taking a systematic approach to managing each aspect of looking after your home is best; by keeping a regular yearly maintenance schedule that ensures no stone is left unturned, you save yourself from getting into a situation where problems build up and snowball into something unmanageable.

Today, though, you’ll learn about one area most don’t care to think of much – your roofline. It’s very much an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ area of the home, but neglecting roofline maintenance can lead to some of the most costly repairs possible.

What Is the Roofline, Anyway?

The roofline of your home is pretty much exactly what it sounds like – it’s the boundary that separates your roof and the exterior walls. Technically, there are several separate parts that come under that definition:

Eaves

The eaves are the section of the roof that overhangs from the exterior wall where the roof and wall meet, and they help direct water away from the sides of the house and into the gutter.

Fascia

The fascia are the rectangular boards that are positioned directly under the roof. These boards support your gutters and offer part of the finished look of your roof.

Soffits

Soffits sit under the eaves and help ventilate the home, allowing air to flow properly into the attic preventing the possibility of condensation buildup and mold formation.

Gutters

Gutters are channels that are offset from the face of the building. They run alongside the fascia and are there to collect rainwater and deliver it away from the home.

Ultimately, the roofline has two main purposes: managing rainwater so that it doesn’t accumulate where it shouldn’t and cause damage, and providing the finishing touches to the exterior aesthetics of the house. If any of the above parts of the roofline are left unmaintained, major issues of rot, mold, infestation, and even severe structural damage can ensue.

A Look Into the Possible Problems That Can Occur

Here are the main reasons looking after your roofline is important:

Preventing Structural Damage

One of the worst things that can happen as the result of a poorly maintained roofline is physical damage to your home, which can range from mostly a cosmetic concern to serious structural issues. Wood rot, rust, and general decay can weaken the joints between the roof and the surrounding exterior wall, leading to costly repairs.

Water Drainage

As previously touched on, one of the main purposes of your roofline area is to allow your building to properly drain rainwater. Even a small blockage in your gutter can lead to serious problems, as the issue compounds itself over time and gets larger and larger. Once water starts to collect where it shouldn’t, you face issues such as cracks, leaks, mold growth, and reduced structural integrity.

Energy Efficiency

The roof and the attic space beneath it are one of the prime considerations when it comes to energy efficiency, and given so, proper maintenance of your soffits to ensure everything is insulated goes a long way. Many times, if any drafts are getting into your home through the attic spaces, the roofline is an obvious culprit.

Pest Control

When the components of a roofline described above start to break down and degrade, there becomes more opportunity for pests such as birds, mice, insects, and other small animals to make their way inside. In serious cases, this can lead to infestation.

Curb Appeal

Curb appeal refers to how attractive a house looks from the street, and given that the eye is naturally drawn upwards as people look at a home, a degraded roofline will represent a major eyesore. If you want your home to look its best or are hoping to sell, maintenance in this area is a must. Moreover, if potential buyers think they’ve spotted an issue with the roof – one of the most expensive aspects of a home to fix – they may think twice.

On Gutter Maintenance

When you’re considering where to start with maintenance, think first of your gutter. In reality, with it being the primary measure for dealing with rainwater, the majority of issues you may encounter around your roofline stem from the gutter. All components of your roofline are very close to each other, and when water builds up due to damage or malfunctioning of the gutter, it can have a serious knock-on effect.

Here are three key factors that go into how to look after them:

Cleaning

Cleaning your gutters is relatively easy – you simply require some thick gloves and some time. Twice a year, head up and inspect your gutters for any leaves, dirt, and other debris (it’s a good idea to plan these checks after autumn when the leaves have fallen from the trees – even if your trees don’t directly hang over or close to your roof).

Remove anything you see, and run a hose pipe or power washer through the gutter to check that water is flowing properly after you’ve cleaned it. If your gutter is too high up to the point it could be dangerous to do this yourself, call in for professional help.

Check for Damage

Aside from cleaning, it’s crucial to try to spot any damage. If you see any major cracks or degradation, it may be time to replace the gutter entirely. Damage happens most commonly with cheaper plastic materials, so consider aluminum guttering for your next set-up; metals hold up far better over time.

Check on the Ground for Proper Drainage

Having cleaned the gutter, it’s key to check the drainage points once you’re back on the ground. Inspect the drains to make sure they’re not blocked – water pooling in this area can seriously damage the foundations of the home, so it’s not all about what’s at the roofline.

On Fascia and Soffit Maintenance

Next up is inspecting the fascia boards and soffits. Here’s what to look for:

Water Damage and Pests

When it comes to the fascia, water damage and pests are your main concern. Look for any water stains, rot, or mold, and if you notice anything, it’s simply best to replace the boards. The boards come in sections, so luckily, you shouldn’t have to replace the fascia covering the entire perimeter of your house.

More often than not, fascia issues result from problematic gutters due to their close proximity, so it’s key not to skip out on any maintenance steps described above.

Checking for Properly Ventilated, Undamaged Soffits

Where your soffits are concerned, firstly check that the surrounding vents are free of debris and remain undamaged: even small amounts of debris can cause ventilation issues. The soffits are another area you should also inspect closely for rot and decay – moldy soffits are one of the primary causes for mold issues making their way into the attic space, so if you catch these problems early from the outside, you could save yourself major, costly issues later on down the line.

Wrapping Up

Having happened upon this article, it may be that you’d never even heard of roofline maintenance before, but you should definitely count yourself lucky that you do now! Home maintenance is a continuous burden, but add your roofline to your list of yearly checks, and you’ll save yourself from many of the most devastating issues that can happen to your house.