How old is your roof? This is a good place to start in finding out if you need a full roof replacement.The most common age for roofs to experience problems is around 20-30 years. This is the age where most roofs have already deteriorated enough and experienced significant damage.As your roof ages; it begins to lose granules from experiencing different weather events throughout the years. This could be when shingles crack from long-term exposure to the sun. Simply put, shingles weaken over time. 20-30 years is usually the age when shingles are weakest and most susceptible to wind damage, which we’ll talk about in the next section.But a roof’s age isn’t enough to make a decision. In the actual roofing process, an inspection is made where roofers will do a repair test, to see if the roof’s damages can be repaired without compromising the integrity of the roof. If the roof was further damaged during the repair test, then a full roof replacement is recommended.
Wind Damage is the most obvious sign of damage on a roof. It is a damage that homeowners themselves can spot easily. Curling, Flipped, and Missing Shingles are caused by the gradual weakening of shingles with age and decades of exposure to strong winds. These damages could also be a result of improper installation practices by roofers. This is why homeowners need to make sure a roofing company has good credibility and reputation before trusting them with their roof.Wind damage makes your roof susceptible to water. Water from rain could seep into your roofing system, and leak into your home. The water could go into the roof’s wood decking and cause wood rot if not if not dealt with promptly. It’s important to call a roofer immediately upon seeing these types of damages on your roof.Curling Shingles
Delamination of asphalt shingles refers to the separation of the different layers within a shingle. This typically involves the detachment of the granule-surfaced layer from the underlying fiberglass mat or asphalt layer. This issue can compromise the integrity and durability of the shingle, which makes the roof vulnerable to leaks.A common reason for Delamination of shingles is improper installation from roofers. Roofers could set the strength of their nail guns too high that they overdrive nails into a shingle or miss the nailing area of a shingle entirely, failing to secure the position of the underlying asphalt layer. But even if the installation of shingles is flawless, over time, UV exposure and minor shifts in the building's architecture can lead to delamination. It’s best to call your roofer as soon as you notice delamination on your roof, to prevent leaks before they happen.
LeaksThis is one of the nastiest problems to deal with as a homeowner if not acted on quickly.Leaks are caused by water seeping through your damaged roofing system causing a pool of water to rest on your ceiling, and can sometimes seep into your walls and floors.The reason why it needs to be fixed promptly is because if not acted on quickly, it can cause many more problems for your home if water can get into places it’s not supposed to. It can cause wooden parts of your home to rot and even mold if left untreated for too long.Here are different ways a leak could look like:
Rotten Wood is one of the problems you have to deal with as a homeowner when you delay calling a roofer after spotting a leak.If you suspect you might have a leak, you can go into your attic and look at your decking. If you find that your decking is wet and or turning black, it’s best that you call a roofer as soon as possible before the wood rots. Check your attic annually and search for black spots developing on your decking, or call a roofer to check it for you.This way, you avoid any possibility of rotten wood in your home, which can be a huge headache for most homeowners.This is how different levels of Rotten Wood could look like.
Sagging commonly happens to roofs when their internal framing or rafters are NOT installed properly. If your roof is installed with rafters that are undersized, or misaligned (or it experienced wood rot from leaks) and is carrying excess weight, your roof has a higher chance of sagging over time. Examples of excess weight on your roof could be when heavy Ice Dams form during winter or malpractice from unqualified roofers who stack new shingles on top of old ones instead of replacing them. As you can imagine, the weight of two layers of shingles on undersized rafters could make the roof collapse, and this is one of the roofing malpractices that you’d want to avoid when choosing your roofing contractor.
We understand that seeing these signs in your roof can be concerning, but we are here to serve YOU! If you think you need a new and dependable roof you’ll love, CALL US! At (706) 899-4747. If you have any questions regarding the roofing process, insurance claims or anything else related, you can e-mail us those questions at customercare@augustaroofingpros.com we’ll be happy to help!
