It’s that time of year when the leaves change color, and the air becomes crisp. It’s also the time of year when homeowners start to think about preparing their homes for winter. One task that is often overlooked is roofing maintenance. Many people don’t realize that it’s important to inspect your roof regularly and fix any minor problems before they turn into big ones. As you’re getting ready to deck your halls this Halloween, we thought we’d share some horror stories from America’s roofers.
Tales of roofing terror
One roofer we spoke to told us about a job he went on to fix a small leak. When he arrived at the house, he saw that the leak had been caused by a large tree branch that had fallen and punctured the shingles. He replaced the damaged shingles and was about to leave when he heard a noise from the attic. He slowly made his way up the ladder and peeked into the attic, half expecting to see a rat or other small animal. Imagine his surprise when he saw a large black cat perched atop one of the rafters! The homeowner had no idea that the cat was up there and was relieved that it hadn’t been hurt.
Another roofer told us about when he was working on a roof in the middle of summer. He was sweating bullets and cursing the heat when he heard something fall from the sky and land next to him. He thought it was a bird at first, but when he looked closer, he saw it was a bat! There is no way to be sure how long the bat had been up there, but it was clear that it was not happy to have been disturbed. After a few minutes of valiant effort, the roofer was able to shoo the bat away and finish his work. The client was shocked to hear about the bat and even more surprised to learn that they commonly roost in attics by entering through small holes in the roof.
This next story is about to get squirrelly. The roofer we spoke to told us about a job he went on to inspect a leaky roof. When he arrived, he found the leak source was a huge hole that had been chewed through the shingles by a family of squirrels. The damage was so extensive that the homeowners had to replace the majority of their roof. If only the owner had known to inspect their roof regularly, they could have saved themselves a lot of time, money, and stress from dealing with a leaky roof caused by pesky critters.
Another roofer told us about a job he did to repair a small leak. When he removed the shingles around the leak, he found that the insulation was completely soaked through. He replaced the insulation and fixed the leak, but when he put the shingles back, he found another hole in the roof, just a few feet away from the first one. He repaired that leak too, but when he went to put the shingles back, he found yet another hole! This time, there were three holes in the roof, all in a row. This never-ending cycle continued until the roofer had repaired a total of six holes. What started as a small repair for a small leak turned into a big job.
The strangest tale of all
Our final story takes the cake for being the most bizarre. A roofer was called to a house to repair a small leak. When he arrived, he found that the leak’s source was a hole punched through the shingles by a large bird. The homeowner said they had seen the bird flying around their house for a few days but didn’t think anything of it. The entire attic was filled with bird droppings, and the roofer had to replace the insulation and repair the hole before he could even begin to work on the roof. The homeowner was relieved to have the problem fixed, but they were shocked to learn that the bird had caused so much damage. This situation could have been easily avoided if they had called a roofer sooner.
Stay safe this season
These stories show that you never know what you’ll find when you’re a roofer. From bats and squirrels to birds and cats, there is no telling what might turn up on a job. The best thing you can do is to be prepared for anything and always have a professional inspect your roof regularly to avoid any Halloween horror stories of your own. Happy roofing!
