Most of the time, roofs don’t collapse. Building standards are fairly high in the West, so the likelihood of this sort of thing happening is fairly low.
However, it can and sometimes does occur. And when that happens, it’s a disaster for you and your property. It could even be unsafe if you’re in the home at the time.
This post is here as a kind of warning. It tells you the signs you need to look out for that indicate your home’s roofing is about to collapse. Here’s what you should be looking out for:
Excessive Debris
First, you’ll want to check the roof for excessive debris. Fallen branches and heavy snow can both take their toll on roofs and sometimes lead to unseen damage.
These forms of damage often overload the roof and leave it weakened in subsequent seasons. Then the roof must absorb new impacts that weaken it further, and so on.
All of this debris is problematic, but it can be removed. Once you get rid of it, invite professionals to your home to conduct a roof inspection. They’ll be able to tell you if there’s any structural damage and whether anything needs fixing.
Missing Roofing Materials
Another sign your roof might collapse is missing roofing materials. If you can see spots where sections of metal, tiles or shingles should be, then you may need to call professionals. Any gaps or holes in roofs can lead to accelerating damage and deterioration over time, particularly during stormy weather.
If you have missing roofing materials, get them replaced as soon as you can. Sometimes, you can do the work yourself, or you can call a professional and get them to take a look at it for you. Just don’t leave it!
Cracks In The Walls Or Ceilings
Large cracks in the walls and ceilings of your home could be another sign that your roof will soon collapse. Marks near the top of walls are particularly problematic and can indicate that the roof’s weight is stressing the structure.
These issues usually appear after fitting a new roof that’s wrong for the surrounding structure. Roofs are, by their nature, often heavy and can cause massive damage to the surrounding masonry. If there is too much mass, brickwork and plastic will begin to fail and continue to worsen until a runaway collapse occurs.
If you see any problems like this, you may need to temporarily remove the roof, increase the strength of the walls, and then reapply it.
Sagging Roofline
The ultimate sign your roof is going to collapse is a sagging roofline. This usually occurs if the beams and rafters that comprise the support structure begin to fail.
Sagging usually happens for one of three reasons: the roof is old, there are termites, or the roofing materials are too heavy. Unfortunately, this issue isn’t easy to solve and usually requires replacing broken beams with larger ones that are more suitable for the weight and structure they need to support.
