9 Ways to Know if You Need a New Roof or Roof Repair

Summer’s heat will scorch the San Gabriel Valley into early September, just like it does every year. And guess what?

Heat is more damaging to roofs than heavy winter rains.

Why?

Shingle Roofs in Altadena – Image by Don Simkovich

Heat gradually cooks the underlayment and older shingles and tiles, slowly degrading their protective abilities. Older underlayments won’t last forever, either.

Garvey Roofing is a local roofing contractor that knows you don’t want to pay unnecessary expenses, so the question is: do you need a new roof installed, or do you need your roof replaced?

Let’s start with the most simple questions:

How old is your roof?
Did your roof leak during the most recent winter rains?
Have you noticed shingles on the lawn after high winds?

Here we get an idea.

If your roof was installed more than 20 years ago, and you’ve had a leak in recent memory then your roof may be nearing the end of its useful life. You may need a new roof sometime in the next few to several years.

The roofing materials that were used over 20 years ago didn’t have the reflective properties that they now have.

Now let’s look at signs to decide if you need a new roof or need your roof repaired.

Buckling shingles: aging shingles will buckle, not lay flat.
Excess shingle granules in the gutters: shingles are losing their protective coating and are gradually degrading.
Torn underlayment: if it’s possible to pull up a corner of shingles or tile, check the underlayment. The older it is and if it seems brittle then it’s not providing the needed protection.
Shingles that look faded: due to aging and excessive granule loss.
Missing ridge caps: these are protective shingles and missing ones expose your roof to inclement weather
Damaged flashing around chimney and protrusions. If leaks occur here then this may be an area to repair.
Soft footing, especially on low slope roofs. Decking underneath may need replacing. It’s often possible to replace a portion of the decking as a repair.
Water spots in attic. If rain has soaked through you’ll see water stains on the wood.
No ventilation in the attic. Your shingles are being slowly cooked more than necessary. Install a low-cost attic fan to circulate air.

Now, let’s switch to gutters.

Water spots on facia may mean you have leaks in gutters and that can remedied with new seamless gutters.

You may have an older roof—20 to 30 years old—and can still get several years of use with some basic repairs.

But a new roof may serve you well because the newer roofing materials like Therma Sheet and other products reflect the sun’s most harmful rays and help conserve energy.

Get your attic insulated, too, to reduce heat transference into the home in summer and heat loss out of the home in winter.

Thomas Garvey of Garvey Roofing also respects your goals as a homeowner. If you expect to sell and move in the next few years then you may be better off disclosing the roofing needs to the buyer.

If you plan on keeping the house then it could be best to replace your roof now with materials that are designed to last for 40 years, 50 years or longer.

Garvey Roofing holds four roofing licenses and …

… provides free estimates and guarantees all labor and materials for your peace of mind.