What is home flashing, and why is it important to flash your home? If you’d like to prevent water from leaking into your roof and walls, flashing is a must. Along with rain gutters, exterior flashing helps keep your home safe from expensive, havoc-wreaking water intrusion.
Typically, flashing is installed when your home is built or your roof is refinished. If it’s looking the worse for wear, consider having your home flashing replaced. This simple investment will save you thousands in water damage repair.
What is home flashing?
Flashing is a thin layer of waterproof material that helps protect against water intrusion. It’s usually installed on roof projections and intersections, on top of foundation walls and around windows and doors. Flashing is sealed to keep water out. It’s also strategically installed to guide water away from walls, doors, windows and the foundation so that your home is protected.
Flashing works alongside your rain gutters to divert water away from the house. Take a look at the roofs in your neighborhood. Chances are, they have peaks, valleys, ridges and architectural features like gables or dormers. Many also include chimneys and even skylights.
During a rainstorm, water can get stuck in those valleys and seams—then it seeps into your roof and causes damage. Properly-installed and sealed flashing helps guide the water out of places where it might pool and into the rain gutters. From there, your gutters and downspouts will move the water away from your home’s foundation.
For effective flashing, the material has to be high and wide enough to allow water to flow, either with the help of wind or gravity. If there are areas of flashing which aren’t tall enough, don’t divert the water or aren’t sealed appropriately, it’s time to consider hiring a roofing professional.
Why is it important to flash your home?
The single biggest reason to install flashing is to protect against water intrusion. Even when you have homeowners insurance, there’s no guarantee that they’ll cover the whole bill. Most water damage repairs start at around $10,000 and can top out at $100,000—especially if the storm water is contaminated. That’s a massive expense for most homeowners.
Water damage isn’t just expensive—it’s also inconvenient. Repairing a flooded home or damaged roof means weeks or months of construction and mitigation. You may not be able to live in your home during the repairs, which is another expense.
Finally, when your home is unprotected, you run the risk of losing irreplaceable items. Photographs, heirlooms and important paperwork can be ruined before you even realize there’s a problem.
It’s a lot easier to install and maintain roof flashing than it is to replace and repair your property. Now that you know what home flashing is and why it’s important, you can enlist professional help.
Call J & B Air Conditioning, Heating, & Gutters to discuss your roof flashing and rain gutters. We’ll be happy to help you protect your home from costly water damage when you call today.