Trees that hang over your roof can do a lot of damage. It may not seem like leafy branches could cause harm, but when the leaves brush against the shingles, they knock off granules, and they can even pull the shingles out of place.

The shade from the tree might cause problems too, since it keeps dampness from drying out. Or course, if a big branch breaks off and smashes onto the roof, the damage can be extensive. Here are some roofing repairs your home could need due to trees not being trimmed back in time.

Repair Water Damage

If moisture is held against the roof, the shingles might get moldy and the plywood deck could begin to rot. To fix this, the roofer needs to remove all of the affected shingles and the ones near them to expose the entire area of the deck that has water damage. Since the plywood can soak up water, the deck damage could extend farther than the shingle damage.

The roofer can cut out the wet deck and then check the rafters under it to see if they have water damage too. If they do, the roofer might need to add support to the rafters if they're rotted. Then the roofer can put new plywood decking on and top it with underlayment.

The last step for this roofing repair is to put new shingles over the repaired area. Before any of these steps are done, you'll need to have the tree branches cut away or they'll ruin the new roofing too.

Replace Granules

If the deck and shingles are in good shape except for a loss of granules, the roofer can replace the shingles with new ones that have a full coating of granules. They might decide to leave the old shingles in place and add more granules to them. This can be done with roofing cement. Putting new granules on is important because the granules protect the shingles from sun damage and this slows down the aging of your roof.

Repair Impact Damage

Roofing repair might be needed if a big branch lands on the roof. The impact could knock off granules, crack shingles, knock shingles loose, crack the deck, or make a hole in the deck. The first step is to call a tree care service to remove the big branch from your roof. Then the roofer can assess the damage. They may need to put new decking over the damaged area or just put on new shingles depending on how your roof is damaged.

For more information, contact a company such as Volpe Roofing.