Advice on when to replace your roof

To protect the integrity of your largest investment, your home, you need to know when it is time to bite the bullet and get a new roof. Here are some signs.
You sigh. Your choice is to either go on a really nice vacation down south or get a new roof for your house.

Maybe you convince yourself to wait another year for the roof, but you lie on the beach with your stomach twisted in knots, knowing you haven’t done right for your house. You picture the water seeping in and causing major structural damage to the largest investment in your life. Yikes!

So to help you make this difficult decision, here are some signs that you may need to contact a professional roofer and get your roof replaced.

Those brown spots on your ceiling may indicate that your roof is leaking and that by the time you’ve noticed this, some damage has already been done. Don’t ignore this sign and hope the problem goes away. Deep down you know it doesn’t work that way.

This is a no-brainer. If you have some shingles missing, perhaps after a windstorm, others may be ready to go. This may just be a repair job, but get a professional roofer in to give you an opinion.

If shingles are falling apart or missing in valleys, real danger warning bells should go off in your head. Since snow and rain flow through valleys into the gutters, if they are compromised leaks may occur.

Shingles that are curling, buckling, or blistering may be a sign that your roof is past its best before date. The shingles that do this first are often the ones on the slopes of your roof that get the most sunlight. Another factor that may cause these conditions is poor ventilation, leading to trapped moisture and heat.
Granules in the gutter
Look to your gutters to see if they are filled with granules from your asphalt shingles. Towards the end of their lives, roofs tend to lose more granules, as humans do teeth and hair. If not repaired or replaced, the roof will stop doing its job and water will start to do its evil work.

Take note of how old your roof is. While typical roofs can last 20 to 25 years, they are also past their prime when they pass the age of 10. Harsh weather conditions, such as rain and high winds, can speed up the aging process.

Once you decide to get a new roof, with quotes from various roofers, don’t just cover up your problem. It may be cheaper just to put a new roof atop the existing shingles. But this choice may cost you in the long run. Shingles fastened directly to the roof deck hold better than ones attached to old shingles. They will survive the vagaries of weather better. Remove the old roof first. The work will be worth it.

If you install a new roof this year, you can enjoy your mai tais on the beach next year without a pang of conscience. Priceless.