If you own a building or a home, you probably haven’t thought a lot about the roof or the exterior and it may have been awhile since you checked on any of it. These things need regular checks just like the systems inside your house. The easiest way to get that done is whenever you have cleaners brushing off the roof, have them take a look at these few things to let you know if you need repairs and replacements any time soon.

Gutters
Gutters need to be kept clear of debris and things like leaves and sticks. If they are left there too long, it will cause the water to not be able to flow freely which will cause blockage and pressure build up which could eventually crack and split the gutters. Other than that, regular gutter inspections will let you know when gutter replacement is going to be in the near future. Gutters aren’t too expensive. They can range anywhere between three and nine dollars per linear foot depending on the type of gutter installation and material you decide on.

Roof Shingles
If any shingles are loose or even missing, this is a good sign that roof repair is imminent. However, just because the shingles need replacing or fixing doesn’t mean that the whole roof needs to be repaired yet. Sometimes you can get away with replacing the shingles before the entire roof has to be done. A professional roof replacement will cost you anywhere from 6,000 dollars to 12,000 dollars so this is a pretty hefty investment once your whole roof does need to be replaced. This is because the old roof will need to be removed. Putting a new roof on top of an old one will drastically cut down the life span of the new roof.

Siding
Siding repair costs can vary because of the different things that can be done. If your insulation seems to not be working as well or the actual siding appears cracked, rotted or worn, you need to replace it. In order to get an estimate on siding repair costs, you’ll need to know the type of material that you want. However, the typical material for siding is vinyl so that’s what is used here to site siding repair costs. Vinyl siding repair costs about 200 or 300 hundred dollars per one hundred square feet. So, even for a small 1000 foot square house, you are looking at anywhere from 2000 to 3000 dollars. Keep in mind however, that this price can vary greatly depending on the material.

Of course there is a lot more that needs to be checked out on the exterior of a home. If you have any wood outside, then this will need to checked for termites and rot regularly. Any structures such as fences, sheds, decks and garages will need inspections as well. However, your roofer will not need to look at these, you can do that yourself. Inspections include simply making sure that everything looks as it should. Any new wear and tear should be kept a close eye on as weather will deteriorate everything over time.

Regular checks will eliminate having to all of a sudden pay for an entire replacement. If you can see that something is starting to rust or decay or fall apart in some way, then you can start putting money aside for the item and it’s almost like making payments towards it. It’s a lot smarter than waiting until your roof falls in to realize that you need a new one.

Owning a building or a home can be a lot of work when things go wrong. It’s best to do your research and find out when everything will need replacing or some repair on average so that nothing comes as a surprise to you. This will help you to be able to plan and budget more wisely and efficiently and continue adding value to your home. Planning for replacement will also allow you to replace things as they happen, one at a time, instead of having to do everything all together at the same time. Unless, of course, replacing everything together is your plan.