Your roof is one of the most important components of your home, protecting you from the elements and keeping out water, wind, and more. As a home ages, so does its roof, slowly wearing down until replacement is necessary. Knowing when it might be time for San Jose roofing services by Greenman Roofing is crucial to prevent extensive damage. Use this checklist of signs as your guide to gauge if that steep slope overhead needs attention.
Visible wear or damage
Carefully checking over shingles and flashings around vents, skylights and chimneys reveals a great deal. Curled, cracked, loose or missing shingles signify aging and deterioration, as do rust spots and holes from storms or falling branches. Flashing separation at joints means water could infiltrate underneath.
Roof age over 20 years
While today’s architectural asphalt shingle roofs can last 20-25 years or more if high quality and properly installed, once past two decades, it is risky to go much longer without replacement. Technology improves over time as well so even if your dated roof seems fine now, upgrading to modern materials with longer warranties that meet current building codes just makes good sense.
Noticeable leaking, wet spots
Discovering drips coming through your ceiling or attic is arguably the most worrisome warning sign of roof trouble. However, dampness anywhere in the home, whether ceiling stains, peeling paint or mold growth, deserves your scrutiny for a potential root cause of inadequate waterproofing from above.
Raised shingles or lacking granules
Walk around looking overhead for any warping in your roof line. Bulging areas often signal deterioration underneath, requiring further exploration and repairs. Also scan for bald spots where grit has worn off shingles, reducing protection against the elements, not to mention looking unsightly.
Increased energy bills
Poor insulation paired with tiny gaps across an aging roof’s expanse could have you cranking your heat or AC more often to compensate. Monitor electricity and gas bills year over year for noticeable hikes that lack other explanation. Profile your energy use room by room to pinpoint trouble zones possibly stemming from insufficient attic barrier duties against weather above.
Damaged underlayment or decking
Previous small repairs may have targeted only surface shingles without checking what lies beneath. During major windstorms or heavy snow loads, underlying materials may weaken, detach or break. Pull up a couple shingles to inspect the waterproof barrier underneath, looking for deterioration or gaps.
Significant granule buildup in gutters
Some debris washing into your home’s rain gutters is normal. But substantial accumulation of grit or small rocks over time points to accelerated shingle wear above, shortening their lifespan. Measure granule depth across different roof slope sections and compare to prior years.
Uneven color blending
Shingles aging at different paces depending on sun exposure, ventilation and other factors can make your roof splotchy over time. But if some sections seem to blend poorly or fade in uneven patches early on, substandard installation workmanship could be the cause.
Extreme weather incident
From fierce thunderstorms with driving hail to heavy snow loads or wild winds above 75 mph, intense weather inflicts roof damage you may not notice right away. But soon curled shingles, sheathing impacts or hidden moisture entry could trigger repairs down the road. Always schedule a post-storm inspection after extreme conditions; catching issues early better protects your home.
Converting an attic or lifting HVAC equipment
When making home improvements requiring navigating your roof, take advantage by having the professionals conduct an assessment up there. Prior to attic conversions or relocating heavy heat pumps/AC condensers, the existing roof framing and sheathing must handle the load.
Watch for these signs your home requires some roofing attention, whether minor fixes or eventual full replacement. Lifting shingles, leaking inside or an aging cover reaching its expected lifespan all say it is prudent to call Greenman Roofing for an expert review. Protect your important investment against the elements and prevent avoidable damage from above.
