It is extremely important to make your home as water resistant as possible. Protecting your home and interior from the elements is vital, as not only are cracks going to lead to a loss of energy, as heat escapes through the cracks in your walls and ceilings, but also cracks allow moisture inside, which can cause mold, mildew, and even damage the entire area of the crack, requiring a costly fix. When you are looking the roof, the general shingles do post of the protection against wind and other elements. As long as the roof is properly maintained and cared for, there is usually no probably with water leaking in through the shinglers. However, there are chimneys, smoke stacks, and other items that emerge through the top of the roof. It is often difficult to completely close off the shingles around this area of the roof, and this is generally where the most water damage occurs. However, with the help of roof flashing, you are able to protect your house and prevent any water from making its way inside around these areas.
Types of Roof Flashing
In general, roof flashing material is made out of metal, usually aluminum although coper can be used. It really just depends on your taste. Coper is going to be more expensive but adds a nice, interesting bronze like glow to your roof, which are nice accent points for the rest of the house. If you don’t want to draw immediate interest to your roof, you can use the aluminum roof flashing around the necessary areas. This is going to allow you to perform the roof flashing installation, not only without breaking the bank, but it is also difficult to see while it is there. Galvanized steel is also another option for roof flashing. This is a heavy duty metal and should last you a considerable amount of time, after installed. It really depends on how much longer you have to wait before you need to reroof the shingles. If you plan on reroof the singles in another few years, you can hold off on the extremely expensive materials while flashing the roof. However, if you are flashing the roof and installing new shingles at the same time, you are able to do so with the more expensive material
Benefits of Roof Flashing
Flashing your roof is going to help protect it from the elements, namely water. Water is more likely to make its way into the house via the cracks around pipes, the edge of the roof and around openings for the chimney and smoke stacks. Protecting this area is vital, because if you don’t, the water not only is going to damage the shingles on the roof, but also the wood underneath, which can cause to leaks in the ceiling of your home. With cracks in the ceiling, you are going to not only be forced to repair the ceiling, but the roof itself, which can end up costing you thousands of dollars. To save on this money, simply flashing the roof is not going to take a considerable amount of time, plus it is not expensive and it is going to prevent this water damage from occurring. You don’t need to be a professional to install the equipment, and you can do it on your own, without the help of other individuals.
Cost of Flashing a Roof
The overall cost of flashing a roof is going to vary, depending on how much flashing you are installing and what kind of material you are using. The aluminum based flashing is going to be your cheapest option, and each piece is only going to cost a few dollars to install. However, the galvanized steel and coper is going to be far more expensive. It all really depends on what kind of look you are going for and how noticeable you want the material to be.
Flashing your roof is going to be extremely important, especially after reproofing your home. You want to protect the roof from possible leaks, which can cost you thousands of dollars in repairs later down the line. By simply flashing the roof, you are going to prevent this from taking place, and it is just going to cost you a hundred dollars or so for the parts (if that) and you are able to perform the flashing installation yourself, without the help of a professional, which is going to save you a large amount of money, especially when compared to the thousands it costs for repairs.