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When it rains, it pours - in your living room. This is not good! If you've got water coming in, even just a tiny trickle in the attic, it's time for some new roofing. Or, if you're roof's tiles are starting to look 50 years older than your house, it's time to replace them. Instead of calling a roofing specialist, you can do it yourself. The first step is to decide if you've got the skills, patience and proper balance! What's The Damage? The key to deciding if you want to tackle your own roofing work is to assess the damage, and to understand what it'll take to get it fixed. Chances are your troubles are caused by either the elements, or a roof that was poorly constructed in the first place. Hail, wind, rain, snow, tornados or anything else nature throws at you can cause major damage. Even extreme hot or cold temperatures can cause problems. Both natural and man-made problems usually cause roof leaks or loose shingles, and both are jobs you can do yourself. The first step is to find out where the leak is coming from. Locate the source, and then you can see how extensive the damage it. Rip Out The Shingles No matter what the trouble is, you'll first need to remove shingles. You know there's a hole up there somewhere, but you don't know how big it is. Taking off the shingles will bring you face to face with your enemy, and tell you how much work it's going to take to defeat it. You don't need power tools to do roofing jobs, as long as you're pretty handy with a hammer and nails. Pros use nail guns, but you can get by the old fashioned way. Before you start tearing things up, lay a tarp on the ground so that you can chuck the debris and deal with it later. The industry standard for shingle removal is a shingle-ripping bar, utensil that most folks don't have lying around the garage. If you don't have one, you can do it with a square nosed shovel, but it takes a little technique. What To Do Now? Now that you can see the damage, it's time to decide the next step. If you're lucky, the wind has just knocked out your old shingles, and putting some new ones in will take care of the problem. This is an easy job that can be done in a matter of hours. If the damage is more extensive, you may find yourself over your head. You can replace pipe flashing yourself, but this is a bigger job. Other types of damage are best left in the hands of a professional. If you're not sure, call the nearest (or most reasonably priced!) roofing specialists and have them look at it. A good roofing contractor will have all the tools and expertise needed to get your roof fixed right up, and get the leak stopped so you no longer have to watch TV in the rain. Residents of Boston, roofing services are readily available to you. If it's hard to find time in your day, this is for you. Visit http://www.angieslist.com
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