The Great Debates of modern society include nature versus nurture, chocolate vs. vanilla, and roof replacement vs repair. For North Port homeowners, that last choice may well be the hardest. How does a roofer know definitively if your home’s roof can be repaired or must be torn off and replaced?
Not What You Think
The old joke is your daughter’s orthodontist wants a bigger boat so your daughter’s teeth need more work. You might think a roofing contractor makes similar decisions: you need a new roof because the roofer wants a new (insert big toy here). Not true! A residential roofing contractor wants to earn and keep your business, so the decision on roof replacement vs repair is made by careful inspection and thoughtful discussion.
When you consult with a residential roofer, keep in mind all the range of services the roofer can offer besides a quick repair job:
- Annual inspection
- Roof cleaning
- Application of protective coatings
- Full roof replacement
Roofers enjoy repeat business. They welcome steady customers, realizing a typical North Port property owner may only replace one roof in a lifetime. It is all the other work that helps, so expect a roofer to provide an honest, unbiased appraisal of your home’s roof.
Expect your roofer to show you evidence why repairing is better than replacement, or full roof replacement is a better financial move than more repair work. Be ready to ask all the questions you want.
Four Factors
A good residential roofer uses four metrics in determining if your North Port-area home’s roof can hold up with repair or requires a full roof replacement. Admittedly, it is not a six-of-one, half-dozen of the other kind of decision. A roof replacement costs are significantly more than a repair job. The four factors are:
- The quality of the materials on the current roof — On average, metal roofs and tile roofs outlast shingle roofs, but a cheaply made metal roof may not survive the next hurricane; every roofing material comes in a range of price points and quality levels, so your roofer will carefully examine your existing materials to see if the original owner went with a “bargain” or a high-quality roof
- The quality of the installation of the current roof — Good materials are less than half of a roof’s success story; the contractor installing the materials matters more, so a good contractor will work very hard to make even modestly priced materials last many years
- The roof’s weather history — North Port feels the brunt of Gulf storms; it sits in the teeth of many hurricanes; your roof may have suffered years of pounding rains, high winds, and scorching sun and just cannot last any longer
- The roof’s actual age — Even the best roofing materials eventually give out; your roof may be near the end of its expected life span, which for shingles is around 20 years, for metal roofing is around 50 years, and for tile roofing is up to 100 years
How It’s Done
You may be saying to yourself, “I think chocolate is better than vanilla.” Oh, sorry, we can skip over that for now. You may be saying to yourself, “I can check those four factors for myself.”
No. No, you can’t.
You as an amateur sleuth should never climb onto your roof. Residential roofs are “steep-slope” roofs, and are very dangerous. Even a one-story ranch house roof can bring with it a run to the emergency room and eight weeks in a leg cast. Stay off your roof!
Your roofer, using proper techniques, training, and safety equipment, will inspect your roof closely to determine its real age, its weather and repair history, the type and quality of installed materials, and how well the last roofer performed the job. That inspection will be on your roof and in your attic, and it will take around an hour.
After the inspection, your roofer’s representative will sit down with you and present photographic evidence to support the idea of roof replacement vs repair:
- Corroded or missing flashing
- Damaged vents
- Missing shingles or tiles
- Rusted metal panels or fasteners
- Too-small ridge vents
- Clogged soffit vents
- Mold, mildew, or dampness on sheathing
- Ruined attic insulation
You probably did not consider all those issues. You probably felt your bank account could stand a roof repair but will not take the hit of a roof replacement. Unfortunately, your roof does not take your finances into account. Your roofer can work with you, sometimes offering coupons, sometimes connecting you to tax credits and rebates. Most residential roofers also have strong relationships with lenders, making financing easy.
If you own a home in the North Port, Florida vicinity, please contact us today at Mark Kaufman Roofing so that we may have the privilege of working with you to protect your home’s roof. After all, it protects nearly everything else you own!
