Florida homeowners know this way too well, keeping up with your property and being sure it remains up to code at all times is one of your more important responsibilities. As with most life investments, a house needs maintenance as years go on to provide maximum comfort and safety. If you’ve been in your house for a decade or more, there’s a high likelihood you have thought about investing in a roof replacement. Before moving forward with the decision to install a new roof, there are some obvious signs to watch for to determine whether or not the time is correct for you and your house.
With some light research, you’ve probably come across the “25-30 year rule” for a roof’s lifespan. That figure is used as a benchmark. Most residential roofs need replacing within that window. However, there are many factors at play, and not any roof is the same. Also homes by the water may get more moisture than others.
Your roof takes a tremendous amount of external wear and tear throughout each passing year. Persistent sunlight, strong winds, tree damage, rodents, tropical storms, large sums of rain, or dangerous weather conditions – all of these have an impact on a roof’s lifespan. How often your roof needs to be replaced depends on many factors:
Local weather.
Yearly maintenance and care.
Age of the materials.
Quality of the materials.
Building and design.
Upkeep with minor repairs.
Keeping pests and rodents away.
External debris accumulation.
You Have An Old Roof
The average asphalt shingle roof has a lifespan of about 12 to 15 years, with metal and tile roofs tending to have a longer lifespan. If your roof is approaching its average replacement age, you should probably start thinking about a roof replacement. If other roof repairs were installed over the top of your pre-existing roof – a practice referred to as overlaying – you should definitely be thinking about getting a new roof. Overlaying is a quick fix that can hide larger roofing issues beneath the shingle surface.
Start By Inspecting Your Roof From the Inside Out
The first step is to scoop up a flashlight and get to the attic for all intents and purposes. Ensure to grab a flashlight with a powerful beam to make sure no damage is overlooked, and always be conscious of your safety as you go through these kinds of inspections.
Upon arriving in your attic, see if you can identify one or more of these 4 signs that you need a new roof:
1) Sunlight Shining In Through The Roof
Prior to turning your flashlight on, try and identify any streams of light coming through breaks or punctures in your roof. If the light is spotted coming through your roof, repair or replace your roof right away. If the light is getting through your roof, then water is also leaking into your roof.
2) Dark Streaks & Stains
This one is also simple to uncover. If there are dark stains or dark streaks on the underside of your roof or running down the walls from the base of your roof, then your roof is probably leaking, and moisture is damaging both your roof and your home’s interior structure.
3) Sagging Areas
In the same way that water will make a piece of cardboard soggy and weak, water can also make your roof structure start to sag. If you discover sagging sections of your roof, use your hand or a broom to poke at the sagging spot carefully. If the spot feels soft and wet or moves around easily with your broom’s prod, then your 100% dealing with water damage.
4) Leaks
In addition to searching for dark streaks and sagging sections, make sure to look for any obvious indications of water leaking or rotting your roof on the inside. If you find any clear signs of water damage, you should contact someone to immediately evaluate your roof.
Look For Shingle Issues
The issue with most roofs is that they’re ignored and out of sight. Usually, not taking a good look until there is a stain or dark spot viewable from the street or yard.
Old or worn shingles are very simple to spot if you search for them. Completely missing shingles can be replaced one by one, but it’s normally a sign of the larger issue. Large areas of broken or weakened shingles (or those that are visibly falling apart) indicate that your roof needs a replacement.
Shingles can curl in two ways – the first is referred to as cupping when the edges turn upward, and the second way shingles curl called clawing when edges remain flat and the middle starts coming up. Both of these situations could mean that:
– Moisture has built up beneath the shingles because of inadequate ventilation in the attic.
– Shingles were poorly installed.
– Old age and wear from direct sunlight and weathering
Bald spots on your shingles indicate that the granules have begun falling off, exposing the asphalt below. Tip: examine your gutter system for shingles granules. If rain carries them into your gutters, it’s more than likely your roof needs replacement.
Excessive Growths On Your Roof
Moss begins growing on roofs that don’t receive a lot of sunlight, particularly in colder climates. Moss retains water against the surface, which can result in damage.
Have you recently noticed fungus or other types of natural growth on top or out of your roof? Don’t panic. Nature tends to grow over any man-made building in its path if it is not properly looked after and maintained.
When looking over your roof and the new growths you have noticed, be sure to do so by examining both the interior and exterior of your roof. While most plant growths are likely to be noticed from the exterior of your roof, when there’s a bigger issue at-hand, nature could also be showing up on its own indoors without your knowledge.
Oftentimes, treating the algae from a roof is a way to quickly remedy the issue without money needing to be outlayed. However, if you notice substantial growths around your roof or even inside your home, the recommendation is to locate a roofer to determine the root cause and reason for the growth.
When natural growths have completely overtaken a roof, there’s a strong chance the roof needs to be replaced in its entirety to stop the process in its tracks.
The good news is that algae growth and buildup are not normally signs that you must repair or replace your roof. Rather, moss is more of just an eyesore to your roof and is rather common in humid areas like Florida.
In the event your roof is indeed needing a new roof installation, there then becomes a number of decisions to be made. Beginning with the roofing material to use, will you stick with asphalt or consider tile? Which roofing company will you hire? If you perhaps have a valid insurance claim, there are many roof replacement companies in Boca Raton. For many homeowners having liquid cash to get a new roof may not be viable; there is financing available for qualified homeowners offered by many roofing companies. Ensure to do due diligence before deciding on which contractor to work with.
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