Roofing Project in Zionsville, IN: Summer Visits and What Heat Does to Shingles

Zionsville homeowners know summer in central Indiana can be rough on a house: long stretches of heat, strong sun and the occasional pop-up thunderstorm. This past summer, Blue Ladder Roofing completed a roofing project for a homeowner in Zionsville, IN, with one visit in late July and a second in early August. We photographed the roof on both trips, well over 100 pictures in all. Here is a look at that job, plus what a hot Indiana summer can do to the roof over your head.

The July Visit: Getting the Full Picture

On a July afternoon, our team spent about an hour on and around this Zionsville home, taking more than 100 photos. That's our normal routine. Instead of handing a homeowner a quick verbal opinion, we want a photo of every slope, edge and roof penetration so we can walk through it together and decide what the roof actually needs.

A thorough set of photos also helps later. If you ever file an insurance claim, sell the home or have a warranty question, a dated photo record of the roof's condition is worth having.

The August Visit: Following Through

About three weeks later, we returned to the same Zionsville home and photographed the roof again. Coming back and documenting the roof a second time means the homeowner has a clear before-and-after record, not just our word that the job was handled.

What Summer Heat Does to an Indiana Roof

Winter gets most of the blame for roof problems, but summer does its share of damage too. Asphalt shingles soak up heat all day and cool off at night, and that daily expansion and contraction slowly wears them out. Here's what to look for after a hot season:

• Curling or cupping shingles. Edges that turn up or centers that sink are often a sign of age, heat or poor attic ventilation.
• Granules in the gutters. Some loss is normal on a new roof, but heavy buildup on an older roof means the shingles are wearing thin.
• A very hot attic. If your attic feels like an oven on a summer afternoon, heat may be trapped under the roof deck, which can shorten shingle life and raise cooling bills.
• Cracked vent boots. The rubber collars around plumbing vents dry out and crack in the sun, and they're a common source of small leaks.
• Storm damage you haven't checked. Summer thunderstorms can lift or tear shingles even when nothing looks wrong from the driveway.

Many of these issues can be handled with a targeted roof repair. If the shingles are worn across the whole roof, a roof replacement may be the smarter long-term choice. Either way, it's better to know before winter weather arrives.

Serving Zionsville From Our Fishers Home Base

Blue Ladder Roofing is based in Fishers and works with homeowners in Zionsville and across the north side of Indianapolis. See all of the areas we serve, or call (463) 222-5211 for a free roof inspection. Every inspection comes with photos, so you see exactly what we see.