Maintaining the condition of your roof should be one of your number one priorities when it comes to taking care of your home. It’s why we recommend that you get periodic roof inspections to ensure its structural integrity, and that you make sure to check the shape of the roof following severe weather (even if it’s just circling around your home and looking for damaged shingles). One of the things that you’ll want to look out for when you are looking for possible roof damage is a wavy roof.
Reasons Your Roof Looks Wavy
Your shingles should be aligned in straight rows, which means that there should be no wavy look to them. If they look wavy, then it could be due to a number of different reasons. The following are some of the more common causes for a wavy roof:
- There was an issue with the felt paper – Before the shingles of a roof are put down, felt paper is laid down first. If the felt paper was bubbly or wet when it was applied, then it will cause the roof to look wavy. This is the best case scenario for a wavy roof because typically, the paper will end up flattening itself after a few weeks of summer weather.
- A layer of shingles was applied over an old layer – This only happens if you worked with a bad roofing company. A good contractor will never just add a layer of shingles over an existing layer of shingles – they’ll remove your old shingles first. They’re basically taking a short cut in order to save time and effort. If they installed a layer of shingles of a layer of wavy shingles, then both layers are going to have to be removed and a new set of layers will have to be properly installed. You’ll probably want to use a different contractor this time as well!
- The decking is damaged – Every home has plywood decking that covers the house. The decking is where the roof is laid. If the decking is damaged, it can cause the roof to look wavy. Decking needs to be installed at the proper thickness according to area building codes – and if it isn’t, it will be more prone to damage. You can check to see if the decking is damaged by going up into your attic space and looking for any sagging, rotting or cracking in the decking. If you do, you’ll need to have a contractor replace it.
- The shingles weren’t installed properly – If it wasn’t one of the previous problems, then your wavy roof may have been caused by a contractor who did a poor job aligning your shingles or didn’t nail them down properly.
These are the reasons why your Baltimore-area home might have a wavy-looking roof. If your roof looks wavy, then be sure to schedule an inspection with us by contacting us at Park Heights Roofing today. We will identify the exact cause and make the required roof repairs.