When will my roof wear out? Be sure to check your home periodically for roof conditions. I always recommend a routine inspection by a roofing specialist to make sure things are going well up there. Don’t wait until your roof leaks to find out you need it to be replaced.

“A roof is only as good as the tar paper underneath it.” – J. Mortensen of Mortensen Roofing
You can make sure that your tar paper lasts by keeping your attic well ventilated, preventing the tar paper from baking underneath. Eybrow, gable, electric and turbine vents are all excellent ways to keep your attic cooler during summer months. Attic temperatures can get as high as 160 degrees in some areas! This will also cut your energy bills down as your interior dwelling will stay cooler as well.

Don’t forget to clean your dryer vents periodically. Clogged plastic discharge hoses cause thousands of fires per year – even if you are diligent in keeping your lint screen clean. Always use solid sheet metal for lint discharge. If you move into a new home – check this out first. We moved into our home years back and only later found out that our discharge vent hose was some old HVAC ducting that emptied right into the crawl space!

Steps homeowners can take to prevent house fires as seen on MSNBC VIDEO: http://www.delintavent.com/14.html

According to TIME/CNN Magazine:  

“U.S. scientists last week admitted that one war is being lost-this year the 58 U.S. varieties of termites, frail, pale, ¼-inch-long insects, will destroy some $50,000,000 worth of property (by boring into and eating the wooden framework of buildings), and almost nothing can stop them. This equals the annual damage done by rats, mice or weevils, and exceeds that of tornadoes, earthquakes or arsonists.”

It’s a good idea to have a pest inspection every two to three years.  For a nominal cost, a termite inspector will crawl under your home if it has a crawl space, check the attic if accessible, look underneath sinks and basins and walk the perimeter of your home checking for signs of termites or dry rot.

“Water sources and wood scraps are big issues in damage prevention,” says one termite inspector.

Once a pest report is generated, it is divided into two basic categories:  Section I repair items and Section II repair items.  Section I is an active infestation or damage by wood eating organisms (termites, wood boring beetles, etc.).  Section II is a condition that, over time, would likely lead to Section I damage, if not mitigated (plumbing leaks, earth to wood contact of siding, decking, etc.).

I recently viewed a home in Berkeley CA that had $70K worth of termite/dry rot damage.  This was a flat roof home and had years of deferred maintenance.  The roof was not replaced for decades and the rain was allowed to seep into the supporting framework around the perimeter.  In this case, the inspector drilled “test holes” top see if wood remained or it was just shredded wheat.   In this case, an ounce of prevention would have certainly been worth a pound of cure.