10 Indicators That You Need a New Roof
Here are 10 warning signs that tell you your Florida roof should be replaced.
The age of your roof exceeds 30 years
Typically, an asphalt roof lasts for roughly 20-30 years. If your existing roof is more than 30 years old, than it’s safe to say that you should get a roof inspection to ensure that your roof is still in stable condition to protect your home. If your roof hasn’t received any maintenance or repair work within 30 years, it’s even more important to get it inspected. To know how much time your roof has left, call out a professional roofing contractor to assess it. As a general rule of thumb, an asphalt roof that’s 20 years old has at least 10 years left before a replacement is required. With consistent maintenance and repairs, it could last an additional 5-10 years.
2. The original roof wasn’t installed properly
If your roof wasn’t installed properly, than it will not only cause more long term issues than the average Florida roof, but it will also cost you more in repair fees. It might be wise to get an estimate for a re-roof or to replace the roof altogether to avoid a costly, unpredictable repair process.
3. Tree or Inclement Weather Damage
Chances are, if your roof has been hit by a heavy tree or heavy windstorms & rainstorms, a full replacement might be your best course of action. Often times, a roof repair should suffice, or maintenance, but it’s possible that the damage is more substantial than you may realize. Of course having to replace your roof because of an unexpected encounter with Mother Nature is unfortunate, but there’s always affordable roofing options out there to save money. This would also eliminate long term, excessive fees from making repairs.
4. Shingles are starting to curl
If your shingles are starting to curl, then it’s in two possible ways. There’s cupping and clawing. When cupping takes place, the edges of the shingles start to turn upwards, like an upheaval. During clawing, the edges of the shingles remain flat, but the middle starts to rise. When you notice this, there are problems in the near future afoot. Normally leaks or other roof related issues.
5. Missing Shingles
While missing a few shingles isn’t a serious problem, they should still be accounted for every now and then. What you should be aware of is that finding matching shingles in color for an older style roof can be extremely challenging. This is mainly because granule colors have significantly changed over the years, making it increasingly difficult to replace a few shingles at a time for an older roof. Colors can also be altered by wear and tear. Generally, patching a roof is OK for a few missing shingles, but once it gets excessive, a total replacement is best.
6. Cracked Shingles
When shingles are cracked, it’s normally because of wind damage. If your roof is only cracked in an isolated area, than a repair should do the trick. However, if the cracks are randomly scattered throughout the entire structure, than looking into a brand new roof would be optimal. Within 3 to 5 years, replacing the entire thing would be your best bet. That’s about how long profusely cracked shingles will last before giving out.
7. Granules in your gutter
If your existing roof is at least 10-15 years old and you see an exponential amount of granules in the gutter, this is a sign of a potential larger problem. The granules are supposed to keep the sun off the asphalt, so once they start to fall off into the gutter, the quality will be severely diminished.
8. Hole in your roof
A hole in your roof isn’t just a cosmetic issue. It’s a fundamental problem that will cause leaking and other weather related conditions to permeate throughout your home, causing discomfort. Depending on the severity of the hole, replacing might be the only option.
9. Shrinking
When the weather gets colder, your entire home is susceptible to contracting. Your shingles will be affected, whether they are asphalt or tile. It can be difficult to preemptively try and prevent shrinking. Hiring the wrong pro can lead to inevitable shrinking issues or broken shingles altogether.
10. Sagging Roof
Sagging roofs are dangerous. Your roof probably has a structural issue and should be examined immediately for the safety of everyone inside the home.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you’re experiencing any of these issues. An emergency roof replacement might be necessary if the issue is severe enough or neglected for too long.