HOW TO DECIDE WHICH IS THE RIGHT OPTION: ROOF REPAIR OR ROOF REPLACEMENT

Are you experiencing problems with the roof on your home or business right now?

If so, roof repair and replacement are your two best options. You can either repair whatever is wrong with your roof at the moment or replace your roof altogether.

Before you decide which approach to take, you should think long and hard about which option would be better for you. And it would help if you did more than consider each cost.

The last thing you want to do is choose to repair your roof to save money, only to have it break down on you again soon. But you also don’t necessarily want to pay to replace your roof if it still has some life.

Here are the things to consider when deciding between roof repair and replacement.

CHOOSE ROOF REPAIR IF…

Roof repair is the more affordable option between roof repair and replacement. The average roof repair costs under $800, while the average roof replacement costs more than $7,500.

But as we just mentioned, cost shouldn’t necessarily be your No. 1 concern when choosing roof repair vs. replacement. Check out some of the other reasons to go with roof repair below.

YOUR ROOF IS STILL ON THE NEWER SIDE

Did you replace the roof on your home or business a few years ago? If so, there’s probably no reason for you to rush into replacing it again since most roofs last for a long time.

Roofs with asphalt shingles are typically designed to last anywhere from 15 to 25 years, depending on how much maintenance home and business owners do on them.

Meanwhile, those with wood shake roofs can expect to get about 30 years of life out of them. And anyone with a slate, tile, or metal roof will usually have the luxury of keeping their roof for more than 50 years before it needs to be replaced.

There are, of course, some instances in which a roof will start to fall apart much sooner than expected. If, for example, a roof is exposed to hurricane conditions regularly, it might not last as long as you think it will.

But generally speaking, you won’t need to consider replacing a roof for at least 10 or 15 years after it’s installed.

YOUR ROOF SHINGLES ARE IN GOOD CONDITION

One easy way to determine if you need to repair or replace a roof is by looking at its shingles. The shingles can tell you almost everything you need to know about a roof.

A roof that’s still worth salvaging will have its shingles in place. Those shingles won’t show any signs of damage and won’t be curled up or cracked. Additionally, you won’t find any granules from the shingles in your gutters when you clean them in the fall.

There’s a chance you can experience problems with your roof even if the shingles look like they’re in excellent condition. But more often than not, your roof will still be in pretty good shape if your shingles are holding up and doing their job.

YOUR ROOF ONLY NEEDS A MINOR REPAIR

Before deciding whether you want to go with roof repair or replacement, you should invite a reputable roofing company to inspect your roof.

During your roof inspection, the company should be able to take a complete look at your roof and tell you which repair or repairs they would recommend to bring it back to life.

In some situations, the list of recommended repairs is going to be quite lengthy. For example, it might include patching up portions of the roof to replacing multiple shingles.

But at other times, the list won’t be much of a list. So, for example, a roofing company may tell you that you can fix a problem with your roof by doing something as simple as replacing a piece of flashing or swapping out one or two shingles.

If your roof only needs a minor repair, your best bet is to make that repair and then monitor it moving forward. Even if you have a leaky roof right now, that leak should go away if you obtain quality roofing services from a company you trust.

YOUR ROOF HASN’T BEEN REPAIRED BEFORE

Unless your roof is ancient, it’s probably not just going to fail on you out of nowhere. Home and business owners will often be forced to deal with multiple roof repairs before their roofs finally give out on them.

If you’ve encountered a roof problem for the first time, it’s not always a guarantee that you won’t need to have a roof replacement done. But there are usually some steps you can take to try and repair a roof before you have to throw in the towel and have it replaced.

It’s not a bad idea to attempt to fix your roof at least once before considering replacement as a viable option.

YOUR ROOF ISN’T LEAKING

Is the issue with your roof causing water to come into your home?

If not, you shouldn’t ignore it. But you also shouldn’t start freaking out about it just yet.

Usually, a roofing problem that doesn’t involve a leak will require repairs to be made rather than total replacement. While that’s not always necessarily the case, the fact that you don’t have water leaking into your home just yet will be a good sign and show that roof repair might be possible.

Just don’t put off having roof repairs made right away. It could prevent a leak from springing up in your roof sometime soon.

CHOOSE ROOF REPLACEMENT IF…

As you can see, there are many scenarios in which you should choose roof repair vs. replacement. But there are also many times when you should go with roof replacement rather than trying to repair your roof.

Let’s take a closer look at why roof replacement is sometimes the better option.

YOUR ROOF IS OLD

No matter how hard you try to inspect and maintain your roof regularly, the truth is that it will not last you forever. A roof can only take so much abuse from Mother Nature before you need a new roof.

With that in mind, it’s good to write down when your home or business’ roof was first installed. It’s also good to note when you’ll likely need to replace the roof, based on the expected lifespan of your roofing materials.

Once the roof reaches that age, you should consider replacing it, even if it doesn’t necessarily look like it needs to be replaced. So you’re better off replacing a roof on the early side instead of waiting for significant problems to pop up.

This will allow you to keep water out of your home. It’ll also let you put room in your budget to replace a roof so that it doesn’t come as a huge surprise one day.

YOUR ROOF’S SHINGLES ARE MISSING OR FALLING APART

Step back and look at the shingles on your home’s roof right now.

Do you have shingles that are missing completely? Do you have others that look like they’re hanging on by a thread? Do you have some stained or coated with algae, moss, or mildew?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, it would be time to consider roof replacement. You can try to replace shingles one by one for the time being to keep your roof intact. But that’s only going to put a Band-Aid on the situation.

You should also be concerned if you notice that some of your home’s shingles are falling apart. As shingles age, they’ll curl up on the ends and even crack right down the middle.

You can, again, try to fix these shingles one by one if you can’t afford to replace your roof at this time. But it’s only going to be a matter of time before more and more shingles go kaput.

Stay on top of inspecting your shingles and see how they’re holding up over the years. Once they start to go missing or fall apart, roof replacement is likely inevitable.

YOUR ROOF WAS DAMAGED BADLY DURING A STORM

When you live in a place like Naples, Florida, it’s not uncommon for bad storms and even hurricanes to come through and do damage to homes and businesses. Often, the roofs on homes and businesses bear the brunt of these storms and are left in bad condition.

Hurricane Irma hit Naples, Florida, especially hard in September 2017. Irma tore many homes and businesses apart and left home and business owners to clean up the damage and try to rebuild.

If your roof is ever damaged during a bad storm or hurricane, you might want to consider replacing it rather than trying to fix it up. Even if your roof appears in decent shape after a storm, it might not be structurally sound enough for you to rely on it in the future.

It’s always best to have your home or business’ roof inspected after a hurricane or other major storm. In many cases, your home or business insurance company may foot the bill to make roof replacement possible.

YOUR ROOF HAS ALREADY BEEN REPAIRED NUMEROUS TIMES

Does it feel like you’re repairing your roof almost every time you turn around? This can be incredibly frustrating and leave you pouring money into what eventually starts to feel like a lost cause.

If you’re repairing your roof for the first or second time in recent years, that’s one thing. But if you have fixed your roof half a dozen times in the last five years, you’re headed down the wrong path. So you’re going to end up dumping way too much money into your roof by the time it’s all said and done.

Rather than choosing to repair your roof again, talk with John Rogers Roofing in Naples, Florida, about the possibility of replacing your roof. They may very well tell you that that’s your best option at this time.

YOUR ROOF IS LEAKING EXCESSIVELY AND CAUSING WATER DAMAGE

If your roof is leaking a little bit, there are ways a roofing company can stop it from spreading without replacing your entire roof. Your roof may be a candidate for a simple roof patch to fix the problem.

But if your roof is leaking excessively and causing all kinds of water damage to occur, you need to act quickly and decisively and put an end to it right away. Water getting into your home is a big no-no, as it can cause structural damage, mold, and more.

You may be able to patch up a bad leak in your roof for a short time. But a patch isn’t always a solution for those with bad leaks.

In those cases, you’ll usually need to take the plunge and replace your roof. Instead, it’ll stop water from leaking into your home and prove to be well worth the investment on your part.

CHOOSE THE BEST ROOFING CONTRACTOR IN NAPLES TO DO ROOF REPAIR AND ROOF REPLACEMENT

So, what’s it going to be? Are you going to do roof repair or roof replacement right now?

Regardless of which direction you decide to go in, roof repair and replacement are both jobs that should be left up to the professionals. So you need a highly experienced and qualified company to do either.

This will ensure your roof is doing its job again and protecting your home or business from the elements. It’ll also ensure that your roof stays put for a long time.

Would you like to discuss roof repair vs. replacement and get the information you need to make an educated decision? Contact John Rogers Roofing today to speak with someone about your options.