Depending on the design of your home, you may not be able to see much of the roof from street level. As a result, it is easy to forget about the important role the roof plays in the day to day protection of your home. Your home’s roof is not something that should need to be replaced often – but it also isn’t going to last forever.
With this article, we are going to offer some tips on how you know when it is the right time to prepare for a home roofing replacement.
Take a Quick Look
As mentioned above, it might be difficult to see all of your roof from ground level. However, you should be able to see at least part of the roof, so take a look when you have a moment and see if you can spot any signs of trouble. Are your shingles looking a little worse for the wear? Are they broken, cracked, or are some of them simply missing? Problems with your shingles are the first sign that your roof may be headed toward needing replacement.
Of course, it is certainly possible to perform repairs on a roof, and that is probably where you will start if you are seeing issues with your shingles. However, it does need to be noted that you’ll likely wind up needing to replace the roof if you are consistently having shingle problems. It’s up to you to decide how long you want to keep investing time and money in repairs before you go ahead and have the replacement completed.
Check the Calendar
Beyond looking at the condition of your roof, you can simply look at your calendar and count how many years your roof has been protecting your home. If it’s more than 20, you can be sure that time is running out on this current roof. You probably aren’t going to get more than 30 years from a roof, and you may get as few as 15. Using time alone is not a good way to decide when roof replacement is needed, but it certainly can be a helpful gauge.
Attic Check
Perhaps the most important place you can go when trying to assess the condition of your roof is the attic. While in the attic, check for a couple of things. First, of course, are signs of water damage. If you see stains from leaks, or wet wood from a recent rain, it’s quite likely that you’ll end up needing to have the roof replaced. Also, if you visit the attic during daylight hours, pay attention to any spots where you may see light coming through the roof. The attic should be relatively dark even in the middle of the day, so light sneaking through the roof is a bad sign.
You don’t want to wait too long to replace your roof. Yes, this project is a significant expense, but your roof is responsible for the important task of protecting your home. You’d rather get the roof done right away so you can avoid the kinds of costly damage that can result from letting an old roof stay in place too long.
