When it comes to our homes, we are famous for trying to repair and improve them ourselves. This DIY generation now really has no choice in this regard. The current economic miseries make it financially difficult to hire professionals some times



Many parts of a home are relatively easy to pursue DIY projects with. Putting in a new deck, kitchen appliances or tile can be a task and a half, but most of us can muddle our way through in a weekend.

One are that definitely falls into a difficult DIY category is roof repair work. One reason is very practical. Unless your roof is old, it should carry a warranty. If you start doing your own work on it, you can invalidate that priceless piece of paper.

A second reason is simply safety. Roofing repairs require you to be up in the air. You are usually going to be standing on a slope. Need I say more? The potential for falls and serious injuries are definite.

For those that decide to pursue the project, the important thing to understand is roofing is not nearly as simple as it looks. An area you absolutely must understand is the slope of the roof and what it means in relation to your project.

What is slope? As the name suggests, it is the angle at which a particular area of roof proceeds from the vertical plain. Put another way, the slope is the number of vertical inches of drop every 12 inches of horizontal measurement.

Why is slope a big issue with roofing? There are two reasons. The first has to do with sitting water. If you see it on the roof, the primary reason is most likely that your slope is inadequate and needs to be changed. This is often expensive.

The second reason slope is important has to do with the roofing materials. Certain types of roofing do not work on certain slopes. This can mean the difference between a roof lasting a long time or failing in a few years. Consider the following example.

A roof with a big slope, say 8 and 12, will be great for shingles because gravity will move the water off of it. Using shingles on a roof that has a small slope will be a disaster because water will back up under them and into the interior of the roof.

You might be wondering a bit about the pitch of the roof. Do not worry about it. Pitch is a word used for slope in some areas of the country. They are the same thing, so you can use whichever is appropriate for your location.

If you are hell bent on doing your own roofing work, take the time to get a firm understanding of what is involved. The slope will be the first of many issues you will need to be familiar with to have a successful result.