It's easy to see why DIY roof repair seems like a good idea. You save money on labor costs, you set your own schedule, and you get the satisfaction of doing it yourself. But as we'll show with a case study from our own experience, these savings often come at a hidden cost that can far outweigh any benefits.
Let us introduce you to Mrs. Smith, one of our long-time clients in the Blue Ribbon family.
Mrs. Smith had always been proud of her DIY skills. She could fix just about anything around the house, from leaky faucets to stuck windows. So when a storm hit her area and damaged her roof, she decided to tackle the repair herself.
At first, everything seemed fine. Mrs. Smith climbed onto her roof with her toolbox and got to work. She replaced a few shingles, patched up some leaks, and even added some new flashing around her chimney.
But here's where things started to go wrong. You see, Mrs. Smith didn't realize that the storm had also damaged her roof deck. This is the plywood or OSB layer beneath the shingles that provides structural support for your roof. When it's damaged, it can cause all sorts of problems like leaks, mold, and even collapse.
Mrs. Smith didn't discover this until a few weeks later when she noticed a new leak in her living room. By then, the damage had spread and it was much harder to fix.
This is where Blue Ribbon Roofing came in. We inspected Mrs. Smith's roof and found that not only did she need to replace the damaged shingles and flashing, but also the entire roof deck. This meant a lot more work than she had originally anticipated.
But here's where things get interesting. You see, because Mrs. Smith had tried to DIY her roof repair, she didn't have any records of the original installation or materials used. This made it difficult for us to file a claim with her insurance company and we ended up having to negotiate a lower settlement than we would have otherwise.
In the end, Mrs. Smith ended up paying more out-of-pocket than she would have if she had just called Blue Ribbon Roofing in the first place.
The Hidden Costs of DIY Roof Repair
So what are these hidden costs that we're talking about? Here are three key ones:
- Structural Damage: As we saw with Mrs. Smith, storms can cause hidden damage to your roof deck or other structural components of your home. If you don't catch this damage early, it can lead to much more expensive repairs down the line.
- Insurance Issues: If you try to DIY your roof repair, you may not have records of the original installation or materials used. This can make it difficult to file a claim with your insurance company and negotiate a settlement.
- Time Wasted
