For many tasks around the home, a do-it-yourself mentality along with some basic handy skills can go a long way. Maybe you’re able to fix small dents in your garage on your own, for instance, or perhaps you have some electrical knowledge that allows you to safely reset circuit breakers in case of an outage – these are all great skills to have and utilize where appropriate.
At Wizard Roofing, however, we’re here to tell you about one area where there are some major risks involved in taking the DIY approach: Roof installation or replacement. While we absolutely appreciate the go-getter approach taken by those who might try to tear off an old roof and install a new one on their own, we highly recommend against this unless you’ve been specifically trained at the level of our roofing contractors. Here are some of the risks involved here, plus why the prudent move is to hire our team for any roofing installation or replacement needs.
Personal Injury
The biggest risk here is not even to your roof itself, but rather to your personal safety and health. There are several dangerous situations that could arise if you try to install a new roof without the proper expertise and training, ranging from the improper use of roofing tools to falling risks – you may fall through weak points in the roof you were unaware of, for instance, or you could lose your sense of where the roof’s edge is and fall off.
In cases where you have a two-story home, these risks are exemplified. There are simply too many hazards to consider making such an attempt if you aren’t a trained professional. Beware that even if you have personal injury insurance, it likely won’t cover all your damages if they are self-inflicted in a case like this.
Leaking or Water Damage
Beyond your personal safety risks, there are also major risks of improper roofing installation that leads to major long-term issues. Installing a roof isn’t just about nailing on some asphalt shingles in a straight line – you also have to think about underlayment, flashing and numerous additional areas. If you have even a small error, it could lead to gaps, holes or other problems that lead to leaking and water damage down the road.
Increased Expense
Due to both the above and additional factors, many who try to install their own roof quickly find that the savings they hoped to achieve are nowhere to be found – quite the opposite, in fact. Between the time you have to spend correcting your mistakes to self-sourcing materials and tools, you’ll usually invest far more in a DIY roofing project than you would have if you simply hired our roofing contractors for the job.
For more on the risks involved with DIY roofing replacement projects, or to learn about any of our other roofing services, speak to the staff at Wizard Roofing today.
