2. Should I repair or replace my roof?

When it comes to residential roofing, most of the time homeowners don’t know when it’s necessary to completely replace their roof or if a simple repair is enough. To help you get a good idea of what you need to do you should have the following factors in mind when trying to determine what would be better, repair or replace your roof.

• The age of the roof: If your roof is 15-20yrs old and you start having issues, you should consider having it replaced. Just like an old car, you can start making small repairs, but they are just temporary and will keep coming back. You will still need to replace it within a few years. Another issue with making small repairs during a long period of time is that you are risking having major leaks, damage to the roof deck or home structure, which will result in higher cost when doing the roof replacement. Keep in mind that if the entire roof system has failed because of poor installation or cheap, low quality materials, then a new roof installation will be necessary. For more details see our Article: How long does a new roof last?
• The cost of a repair vs the cost of a new roof: Many times the problem with a roof can be so extensive that the cost of a repair compared to the cost of a new roof is closer than you think; when getting a roof repair estimate ask for a complete tear off roof estimate as well and compare them; you’ll be surprised how close the two of them are sometimes. Contact us for a free, no obligation roof estimate.
• If there is a leak, find out its cause: If the leak is simply caused by a broken vent, a faulty flashing or a small roof section has been damaged, then you will most likely only need to repair the area that the leak is coming from. If there are multiple problem areas throughout the roof, a complete re-roof might be necessary. Whenever doing a small repair, you should always have the roofing contractor do an evaluation on the entire roof to make sure there aren’t any other areas that require attention.

Always keep in mind that, if your roof is near the end of its lifetime, all roof repairs are temporary and most of the time not warranted by roofing contractors. A small repair is meant to get you by for a few months until you get a new roof. The last thing to consider when repairing an old roof is that just like everything else, the roofing materials’ cost is going up every year: The longer you wait the higher the cost will be. Contact us for a free, no obligation roof estimate.