If part of your roof collapses due to heavy rain, snow, or wood rot, you need quick roof repairs. You may even need to leave your house if a large part of the roof collapsed and the rest of your house is in peril. Here's a look at some of the repairs that might be required when a portion of your roof has collapsed due to things like wood rot and weight.

A Damage Assessment

If part of your roof slowly rotted due to water damage and neglect, the rest of your roof may be stable and in good shape. The roofer has to check the damage to figure out how to make repairs safely. Plus, they need to decide the extent of the roof repairs needed, since rafters might need to be replaced too. If work can't begin right away, the roofer may place a tarp over your roof to keep the rain out until the repairs can get underway.

Remove The Rotted Material

Next, the roof repair service needs to remove all the shingles, underlayment, and wet decking material that fell in the attic. The roofer might also need to call a carpenter to repair the rafters if they're rotted or broken off. Since the rafters support the roof, they may be left for a carpenter to check and repair for safety reasons.

The rafters need to be repaired first before the decking can be installed. Rafter repairs could be something simple, such as adding a new board alongside the old one to provide additional structural support. In addition, the roof deck has to be checked around the area that collapsed to ensure all the rotted materials are found and removed.

Install New Roofing

Once all of the old roofing materials are removed and the are rafters repaired (if needed), new decking can be put on by nailing it to the rafters. Then a new patch of underlayment is applied, and new shingles are installed. Fixing a small collapsed area is more complex than simple water damage repairs, but it's not as difficult as when an entire section of roofing is rotted and sagging.

A sagging or collapsed roof that involves a large part of your home is a serious safety hazard, and making repairs can be hazardous too since more of the roof could collapse at any time. You'll need to work with a trusted and experienced roof repair service to fix your roof so it looks like the damage never happened. For more information, contact a roof repair service.