Raise high the roof beams

Jun. 8—Your roof is the equivalent of the offensive lineman in football. For those unfamiliar with the gridiron position, the primary duty of these mostly anonymous space-eaters is to protect their quarterback. And the only time they're really singled out, when fans and announcers pay them any real attention, is when the defense pours through and sacks the quarterback. Similarly, the only time most residents remember there's a roof above their heads is when there's a leak — when water comes pouring through the ceiling. And starting about now, in mid-June until early August, it's monsoon season. Unique to Northern New Mexico, it is a time when, out of the blue in mid-afternoon, from all of twenty minutes to up to an hour, a flash-flood of a rainstorm swoops in out of nowhere and dumps apocalyptic levels of water onto the City Different ... and onto your roof.

That makes now a good a time not to take your roof for granted. Although many roofers — certified roofers — will be booked up this monsoon season, it's never too late to schedule a maintenance check or a get-to-know-your-roofer appointment, or just to do what you can yourself.

ROOFS HERE HAVE IT DIFFERENT

Considering what roofs are asked to do, what they're exposed to day in and day out, most roofs do a dang good job of keeping what's underneath them warm or cool, comfy and dry. Roofs in Northern New Mexico have to withstand more than the average roof: the dual extremes of precipitation (snow, rain, monsoons) and heat (hotter, dryer heat than in other areas of the country) — not to mention the area's 7,000-foot elevation.

On a typical summer day, for instance, it might be 80-or-so degrees and sunny. Depending on the roof, that 80 degrees can rise to as high as 120 to 140 degrees. Once it cools down at night, it can drop to 60 degrees or so. The roof's temperature often drops that much as well — a swing of up to 80 degrees. "What ends up happening is an expansion-contraction of the roof and the movement of roof materials," explains Pat Garcia, who founded Sangre de Cristo Roof in 2019. "That's what sometimes causes a leak, and it starts out slowly."

"We have more snow and extreme temperature fluctuations up here," agrees Hillary McPartlon. She runs McPartlon Roofing, which was founded by her father, Brian, and his brother, Kevin, in 1985. (Brian bought Kevin out in 1993; Hillary took over in 2018.) "The fluctuations are so drastic" she says, "and that really puts a lot of wear and tear on a roof."

Luckily, this wear and tear is easy to fix when addressed early, when it's tiny. "If it's neglected, all it does is grow," explains Garcia, "and at our high elevation, the sun just beats up on a roof, and anything that doesn't have a UV-ray protective coating on it deteriorates. It'll just break it down and eat away at it. That's when the problems get larger and larger. If you wait to get maintenance done on your roof, or even if you get someone out there to look at it when it's leaking, it can be too late."

GET TO KNOW YOUR ROOF

If you're a DIY owner, the first thing is: know your roof (aka, your roofing system) and make sure you can actually see the surface of your roof. "We have more flat roofs in this climate zone than any other city in the country," says Matt Segura, founder of Southwest Spray Foam & Roofing. "So a flat roof gets tested by the elements — snow, hail, monsoons — more than a pitched roof. And when it leaks, it's more catastrophic." He adds, "[These roofs] can have built-up tar and gravel, sometimes pumice and dirt, needles or leaves, and people have even put recycled construction materials into the cavity. It's not uncommon to find layers of debris, sometimes in feet. Sometimes we're doing an excavation job."

If you're determined to inspect your roof yourself, be safe with a ladder, cautions McPartlon. Falls are the number one cause of home accidents, of which 81 percent involve a ladder. Once you're safely up there, though, look for cracks.

Your roof's age and shape also make a big difference. "The different types of roof systems really dictate how long it lasts," says Garcia. "But if it's installed properly, it should last at least 20 to 30 years.

"And," he advises, "if you don't know the condition of your roof, it's a good time to call a roofer to help you figure that out, even if it's not leaky."

Segura recommends paying attention to these critical areas:

—canales

—skylights

—windows and doors

—penetration and termination or transition points — i.e., anything that penetrates, or where the roof meets a wall or where it ends, such as at plumbing vents or electrical conduits

Canales are essentially part of your roof too. "If they're not maintained," McPartlon says, "they get affected by the sun. They will start to deteriorate and crack, so they need either to be painted or stained." Adds McPartlon, "People often overlook that. If you're not coating those kinds of things with either a stain or a sealant or a paint, they can also start to fail."

Unless you're an experienced roofer, you may not know that plastic cement doesn't fare well on a Northern New Mexico roof. "I'm not a huge fan of it, because it just doesn't last," says McPartlon, who sits on two National Roofing Contractors Association committees. "Environmentally sensitive owners like it because it has lower VOCs [volatile organic compounds], but it doesn't last very long."

McPartlon's similarly underwhelmed with another popular roofing system: TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin), a single-ply, three-layer membrane often used on flat roofs. "The TPO industry and manufacturers have done very well with their propaganda campaign, but in our climate, I just haven't seen it stand up," she says. "It gets hail damage. It requires more maintenance and prevention because it's subject to UV rays and other things. And it's easily cut. If somebody goes on the roof with boots with a sharp edge, all of a sudden you have a hole in your roof — one you may not see for a long time."

Nor is McPartlon a fan of coatings. "That's usually like putting a Band-Aid on an open artery," she says. "Thicker membranes or ones that have a modified bitumen that have asphalt can flex with temperature changes. Those are OK."

Sometimes, a new roof is not the solution, cautions Segura. "Maybe it's just a skylight [that's leaking]. If that's the case, it's a fairly minor repair: a $200 skylight versus a $25,000 roof." It's also one that can be done by the homeowner or a maintenance person.

"If you don't live here full-time," says Segura, "hire someone to look at your roof after each rain or snowfall. Long-term neglect can lead to mold and rot."

GET TO KNOW YOUR ROOFER

But roofing issues usually circle back to . . . roofers — and therein lies the rub. The key to avoiding a big roofing job later is hiring a certified roofer earlier. Now, for instance. "It's important to establish a relationship with a roofer, a trusted and certified roofer," says Segura, "and get on a maintenance plan."

He also emphasizes that "it's important to get roofing records and keep using the same roofer or roofing company, someone who knows the history of your roof."

"Take a proactive approach rather than a reactive one," urges Garcia. "If you wait to call when it's leaking, you're getting the insurance people involved. You're having to do interior repairs. There are more people involved, and it's definitely more costly."

The reality? "Most people wait until there's an emergency, and then they'll try to go with a patch," says McPartlon. "But patches aren't guaranteed."

By that point, most roofers are already booked solid. "Many times," says Segura, "the customer will feel like, 'I can't get anyone to call me back.' But when you already have a contract with a roofer, they're quicker to respond and more likely to help you in dealing with the leak."

"A lot of times," says Garcia, "we're able to add life to the existing roof, saving you thousands of dollars, or even tens of thousands."

Raise high the roof beams