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Are you a homeowner? If so, then you already understand the importance of keeping your house safe and secure from the outside elements.
This can be challenging when you live in an area that experiences severe weather throughout the year. After all, harsh weather can cause a lot of damage. From rain to snow to sleet and heavy winds, the exterior of your house takes a beating. This is especially true of your roof.
This article takes a look at what to do if your roof is leaking. Because the last thing you want is water seeping into your home. Keep reading to get the inside scoop on how to make sure your family stays warm and dry regardless of what Mother Nature throws at you.
Move Things Away From the Water
When you notice that your roof is leaking, the first thing you should do is secure the scene. This means moving anything coming into contact with the water in your flooded house out of the way.
Move furniture and any other items that might get wet to a dry area and dry them off as quickly as possible. Keep in mind that it could take hours and even days to repair the leak, so you’ll need to make sure that none of your possessions will continue to get wet until the repairs have been completed.
Contain the Dripping Water
The next step in repairing a roof leak is to contain the water that’s dripping into your home. Gather plenty of buckets, towels, garbage cans, and anything else you have on hand that can be used to collect dripping water or soak up standing water.
The faster you can contain the water, the less damage will occur. This is especially important when it comes to protecting your floors and furniture.
Drain Any Standing Water
You will likely notice standing water inside your home and on your roof. This water needs to be removed as quickly as possible.
When it comes to removing standing water from the interior of your home, you’ll need buckets and a mop. Be as thorough as possible and use fans to help speed up the drying process.
Use a ladder to access your roof. It’s important to be extremely cautious around water damage on the roof. After all, the standing water will have weakened the structure of the roof around the damage, thus footing could be treacherous.
Removing standing water on the roof and then covering the leak will help prevent more water from leaking into your home and causing even more damage.
Locate All Areas of the Ceiling Touched By the Leaky Roof
Once you’ve removed standing water from the roof and covered the hole to prevent future leakage, it’s time to locate all water damage.
After all, a roof leakage rarely produces a direct line of damage from the room to the ceiling. That’s because water tends to meander. Thus you simply never know the full extent of the damage caused by even the smallest roof leak.
It’s a good idea to climb into the attic. Start investigating. You’ll need a flashlight to spot all the areas that rainwater has touched. You should also turn off your light in order to spot additional holes in the roof where water could get in.
When you’ve located most of the damage, you’ll need to make the areas in order to come back and make repairs. It’s important to be as thorough as possible to prevent mildew and mold from spreading due to untreated water damage.
Take Plenty of Photos of the Damage
Don’t forget to document the damage to your home with photographic evidence. After all, you’re going to need to submit as many photos as possible to your insurance company. This will help them understand what they are dealing with and will provide a visual record of the extent of the damage prior to making any repairs.
Take tons of photos. Get lots of angles, in good light, and make sure you get pics of every inch of damage so that those repairs can be covered by your insurance claim.
Call Your Insurance Company
Speaking of insurance, you’ll need to contact your insurance company as soon as possible. This is because they will need to start the claim process. After all, you’ll want to get the check from them so that you can hire someone to make repairs.
Be prepared to answer a million questions. The insurance will need a lot of information about what happened, when it happened, including the photos you’ve taken and a detailed list of every possession that’s been damaged by the water leak.
Lay Out a Tarp
The repairs aren’t going to be made overnight. So go ahead and cover the floor with a tarp in the area where the leak has occurred. This will help protect the floor from any remaining water from the ceiling that might drip down until the roof is repaired.
Call a Professional Roofer
You’re going to need to hire a skilled roofing company to make the repairs. Ask family and friends for recommendations. The key is to find a company that will do a great job at a reasonable price. The people in your life will be your best resource for finding a repair professional with years of experience and a strong reputation in the area where you live.
Call a Restoration Professional
When the roof is fixed, you’ll then need to restore the interior of your home. Keep in mind that water damage can quickly ruin walls, furniture, and the floor, etc. Thus you need to hire people who specialize in removing water damage and make your possessions look as good as new.
Here is a resource for trained water restoration professionals.
A Guide for What to do When Your Roof is Leaking
Water damage to your home is no joke. That’s why it’s important to know what to do when a storm strikes and your roof is leaking.
Keep scrolling to discover more great home improvement and lifestyle advice on this blog.