What Condition Is Your Roof in After the Winter Weather?

With winter weather (hopefully) in the rear-view mirror, it’s important to assess the condition of your roof after taking a beating in the cold weather. The weight of heavy snow can cause havoc with your roof, even potentially causing it to collapse.

Homeowners need to ask themselves “how long will my roof last?” and, further, “what condition is it currently in?” To get an accurate assessment of the condition of your roof and what needs to be repaired, it’s important to hire a professional home inspector like Glenn Duxbury to ensure it’s properly assessed by someone capable of doing the job.

How old does my home need to be to require a roof inspection?

Roof flashings are actually the weakest point of any roof system.

Regardless of how long you’ve owned your property or how recently your roof was installed, ongoing maintenance is still required. Extreme weather can cause unexpected damage, in addition to regular weathering and aging conditions.

It’s entirely possible your roof and/or the roof flashing details are already failing and leaks have begun due to severe stressing during summer heat and our recent winter conditions, but are not yet so bad that your upper ceilings are water-damaged or the leak is obvious.

How urgent are the problems with my roof?

Although your roof may be “out of-sight and out-of-mind”, it is actually one of most important protective aspects of any home or building and is so often just left to the elements, which makes it an ‘accident waiting to happen.’

Why wait for the damage to occur and then be forced into costly and complicated home repairs, along with the hassle of insurance claims?

Simply, prevent leaks and interior damage in the first place by having your roof inspected during an annual home maintenance condition check. Now is the time to head-off damaging water leaks – before the worst happens!

What are my expected roof covering life spans?

Different roof coverings each have varying service lives. The typical material service life is as follows, (if properly installed and maintained):

  • asphalt/Fiberglass shingles – 20 years
  • cedar shakes/shingles – 20 years
  • low-slope or flat roofs (with ‘torch-on’ membrane) – 20 years
  • tar and gravel system – 20 years
  • clay/concrete tiles – up to 40 years
  • metal – 40-50 years