Water Damage On The Roof Of Your Covered Porch: How To Address This Common Problem
Posted on: 3 October 2018
Old covered porches are a thing of beauty. You can picture yourself sitting there on a fine day, just rocking away in an old rocking chair, or maybe you already have such a porch, and you sit there daily. However, if you have noticed recently that the roof of your covered porch appears to be leaking quite a bit, and some of the wood and paint seems to be dipping and crumbling, you should have that fixed right away. There are clear signs of water damage here, and water damage restoration on old porch roofs is approached differently than, say, your upstairs master bath. Rather than just let it go, here is what you need to do.
Get a Closer Look
Climb up and look at the part of the porch roof that is leaking and bowing. It is damaged, but maybe you can detect where the leak is coming from, or how the bowing is occurring. Then get up a little higher off the porch to see if there is any damage to the shingles over the roof. A lot of people do not pay nearly enough attention to this part of their home because they are inside a lot and not regularly looking up. You may need a new roof over the covered porch area.
Pull Down the Parts That Need Replacing
Keep in mind that this porch covering is actually directly connected to your home and its roof. If it leaks, bows, and suddenly collapses, it can take part of the rest of the roof and/or your home with it. By removing the water-damaged parts, you are preventing further catastrophe. Then replace these components with fresh sealed wood that will support and restore the porch roof.
Use Scorched or Treated Wood to Restore the Porch's Roof
In the U.S., water damage restoration experts use green treated wood when there is a high probability that the structure or wood will come into contact with a lot of rain or moisture. The "green paint" you see on these boards is actually a treatment that seals the wood to keep it from getting wet and rotting faster than it should. In the U.K., where moisture and rain are constant threats to wood, builders pre-scorch wood. The scorching process makes the wood non-porous because it becomes so dry water cannot enter into the wood. Whichever you want to use, your restoration expert can use to restore this part of the porch roof. Then the restoration expert will clean up everything and you are free to enjoy rocking in your chair on the porch again.
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