Ruling Your Roof: Essential Management and Maintenance – Part One: Repair and Replacement Basics

Roofs provide our homes with weather protection, comfort, energy efficiency, and curb appeal – which is why we know well enough to get issues fixed as soon as they crop up. A malfunctioning roof is, after all, a dysfunctional roof. Signs that you need work done on your roof include:

• Outside light showing through holes in the roof
• Sagging roof deck
• Leaking and water damage
• Loose material around chimneys and other signs of roof penetration
• Torn or missing shingles
• Shingle granules in the gutter

Before you commission any roof repairs or replacements, however, first consider these factors.

Scope

Just how big a repair or replacement is needed will depend on the scope of the damage. Leaks, for instance, can be repaired simply by caulking gaps or holes, or could require more complicated work, such as the replacement of damaged vents. Replacement work could imply needing to gut the roof all the way down to the sheathing or just installing new shingles.

Material Choices

The roofing material you choose will impact on both the cost and the complexity of your roof project. You don’t necessarily have to replace your current roof material with exactly the same material. What you do have to know before switching to a new roof material, however, is relevant information such as:

Expected service life. Differing materials have differing lifespans. Asphalt, for instance, is only good for 30 years; metal can serve your home for at least four decades; and tile and slate can both last more than a century.

Possible deterioration curve. Check for possible defects that your chosen roofing material may display over time. Wood roofs, for instance, can rot when exposed to temperature extremes – while other materials can better weather the elements.

Life-cycle costs. Some materials require routine patch-ups and repairs; some can be left alone for years at a time and only require yearly painting.

Warranty. In most cases, you can get two separate warranties for your roofing material: one from the manufacturer, and one from the contractor. Make sure your coverage is comprehensive enough to take care of all possible issues.

What about new installations and re-installations? What should you know about them, to make sure your project gets done successfully? Find out in the second installment of our three-part blog.