Roofing is one of the essential parts of your property, keeping it maintained to prevent leaks and other issues is simply a part of property ownership. But at some point, every roof reaches the end of its life, and you need to think about a roof replacement.
But before you start Googling for ‘roofer near me’, you need to know when that point is. After all, a new roof is an expensive investment, so you always want to get the most out of your existing roof and not replace it too early.
A few loose roofing shingles can be fixed without replacing everything. However, you will need to renew it eventually, so here are a few things to help you understand when it is time for your property to get a roof replacement.
A standard shingle roof will last 20 to 25 years, after that it is likely time for a roof replacement. If you have purchased the property within that time, check the records the previous owner left for you, and look for your roofing contractor warranty or any other documentation that shows how old the roof is.
Being 20+ years old doesn’t mean your roof needs replacing immediately, but if it is that old, it’s time to start checking for signs of aging more thoroughly.
A sure sign that the roof is coming to the end of its life is curled shingles. If you look at the roof and see a lot of shingles have begun to curl at corners and edges or tabs are cupped, you need to talk to a local roofing company in your area about a roof replacement.
Curling is a sign of the shingle material itself reaching the end of its effective life, and once it begins happening for large numbers of shingles, it will eventually spread to the rest, so simply replacing the damaged shingles will not be enough.
Aging can appear in other ways too, cracking can occur as the material passes its life expectancy too, so if you see cracks developing, especially ones that pass through multiple individual shingles, a roof replacement is probably due.
One other issue that age causes is bald spots, where granules are missing from areas of the roof. Not only does this look ugly, but it’s a sign that the roof will start to let moisture through and a roof replacement from a roofing contractor is needed.
You don’t always need a roofer to get onto your roof in person to spot issues, take a look yourself from the ground. If you see sagging, this can be a sign of trapped moisture causing internal problems, in this case you will need to contact a roofing professional as soon as possible to prevent additional damage to your home.
Lastly if you see signs of Algae that does not necessarily mean that you need a roof replacement, however that can indicate trapped moisture and act as an early warning for sagging roof problems. If you see these issues, call a roofer and get things checked out, you may be able to prevent the problem from progressing.
Have more questions or interested in a free roofing estimate? Reach out to our team at (484)-535-ROOF or by filling out our online contact form! We look forward to hearing from you!