Making a good decision about the roof over your head will give you peace of mind and protect one of your most important investments – your home.
When determining whether to repair or replace your roof, you may feel more confident after having gotten some expert advise. Blue Fox offers free 20-point roof inspections to help you make the best and safest choice for your home. Or, perhaps you’ve got the facts and knowhow to make a sound choice before you ever call us.
When to repair. If an event like high winds or a fallen tree branch has damaged a small area of your roof, replacing shingles is a relatively straightforward and inexpensive. Torn or damaged shingles can be removed, and new ones can be slipped into place. We can likely get very close, but an exact color match between your patch and existing roof may not be possible. But, if the repair extends the life of your roof 10-15 years, that’s going to seem like a minor inconvenience.
However, if you’re planning to sell your home in the near future, an obvious roof patch job will do little to inspire buyer confidence. So, you may settle on replacing all of your roof.
Some homeowners are intent on replacing only the failing planes of the roof. However Blue Fox recommends against this practice. Contrary to logic, per square foot replacing a smaller area of roof is just more costly. Permits, dumping fees, labor intensive set-up and clean-up are all figured into the cost of your roofing project. These fixed costs are ones you’d rather avoid incurring twice. So even if only one plane off your roof is damaged or showing signs of wear, it’s wise to consider springing for the entire project at once. It can save you nearly 25% off the price tag of partial projects.
When to replace. Dad always said you should replace the roof the day before it starts to leak. Since nobody really has that kind of foresight, we rely on other key visual signals. Odd as it sounds, you’ll get a good idea of how your roof stacks up by looking inside first.
- Check the attic. Using a flashlight and great care, peak your head up into the attic area. Can you see daylight coming through anywhere? That’s a problem. Can you see streaks, wet spots or stains? These are also signs of more serious issues that could lead to structural problems down the road.
- Go down the paper trail. Check your records. A single layer of asphalt shingles and accessories typically lasts between 20-25 years. If a second layer of shingles is already installed then the life expectancy will be even less.
- Examine the shingles. Using a pair of binoculars from the ground or looking out over the roof from a window – examine your roof shingles. Are there streaks and substantial granule loss? Are shingles over large areas of roof cracked, curling or even missing? Then your roof may have reached the end of its life.
- Examine roof protrusions. Any item that is attached to or pokes up through your roof needs to be sealed against wind and rain. Once these seals begin to fail, you’ll want to have an expert inspect your roof. There are occasions when repairs to these seals will buy you a few more years prior to roof replacement.
- Look for sagging. A droopy, sagging roof is one that very likely needs replacement before further structural damage occurs to your home. Trapped moisture can hasten rotting and lead to extremely costly repairs.
- Call an expert. Blue Fox’s home pros will be happy to inspect your roof and make recommendations. Our team is equipped to replace or repair your roof, whatever the need may be. Schedule your 20-point inspection today!
