Whether you’re faced with an urgent need for a new roof or you have more time react to a roofing project. Increase Your Home’s Value: Replacing an old roof can help add curb appeal and will increase the perceived value of your home*. This may be especially helpful if you intend to sell your house. Remember, when selling a house, the first impression is important. Not only does a new roof play a critical part in protecting the investment, it can really transform the look—helping give you an edge over the other properties for sale in your neighborhood.  Return on your investment of a new roof ranks right up there with remodeling a kitchen or bathroom—both projects which are well known to be desirable in a home resale. To see all of our shingles in your area go to Browse Shingles. Check out our Design EyeQ™ visualization tool. You can upload a picture of your actual house to “try on” our shingles. Building a New Home: If you’re building a new home, you have the unique opportunity to design the entire exterior of your home to suit your style. This means the sky’s the limit on the style and color of your roof. Leaks: Knowing you have a roof leak is usually obvious when you see the water spot on your ceiling. However, it can be much harder to pinpoint the cause of the leak. You may assume your shingles are at fault, but it could be missing flashing around a chimney, or some other entry point, that’s allowing the water to get inside your attic. Once inside the attic, water can travel along rafters and other horizontal surfaces making it difficult to find the exact entry point.     If shingles are missing, cracked or otherwise damaged, water can, over time, begin to leak into the home. A leak can start out small and slowly cause a lot of damage if a warning sign is ignored. Water entry can also be caused by an ice dam. Ice dams are formed by the continual thawing of snow over the warmer portions of the roof and refreezing over the cold eave. The ice dam can cause water to backup under shingles. If your roof doesn’t have an ice & water underlayment installed under the shingles, you could be experiencing leaks.                                                                                               

Potential signs of a leak:

• Water spots on your ceiling or walls
• Missing shingles
• Cracked or damaged shingles
• Missing or damaged flashing or boot covers to roof penetrations
• Water spots or wet roof decking (seen through the attic)
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Storm Damage: While your roof is designed to withstand the elements, some storms are more intense than others. There are signs to look for when you believe there may have been damage to your roof. Please be safe when inspecting your roof—possibly view from a window inside the house or use binoculars from the ground. 

Wind damage: Significant wind can cause shingles to blow off the roof deck. Missing shingles can lead to leaks and other interior damage. Other wind damage may not be easy to see, especially if the adhesive seal that provides a water-shedding surface is broken. Always be safe when checking for roof damage. Call a professional roofing contractor for assistance. All manufacturers publish a wind warranty on their shingles; it is important to compare the wind coverage when making your shingle selection on a new roof. If the winds that caused the shingle damage were above the manufacturer’s wind coverage, you’ll need to file an insurance claim. If they were not, contact the shingle manufacturer to file a claim.             

Potential signs of wind damage: Missing shingles, thin horizontal lines where granules have been worn off about 1-2 inches beneath the shingle above; this could indicate that the shingle seal was broken and the shingle was flapping in the wind rubbing against the shingle above it. To be effective against the elements, shingles must be sealed to each other as one water tight roof deck. 

Hail damage: Usually hail is not something that you can miss—it is typically a widespread weather event in a neighborhood and not isolated to just one house on the block. Hail can bruise a shingle causing an indentation that may be hard to see but that can crack the shingle allowing water to infiltrate over time. 

Potential signs of hail damage: Other collateral hail damage around the house; dents on cars or other items on your house or in your yard, A distinct pattern of small round-shaped divots on the edges of the shingles, Indentations in the shingle where granules are missing, A large pile of granules at the end of your downspout; a small amount is normal, especially on new shingles 

Falling Debris: During some storms tree branches or other failing debris can land on your roof. Some items are small and won’t cause an issue—other items are so large that you will naturally be concerned about damage.

Potential signs of debris damage: Visual identification of debris on the roof deck, Missing shingles, cracked shingles, a large pile of granules at the end of your downspout; a small amount is normal, especially for new shingles. 

General Warning Signs That a Roof Might Be Past Its Useful Life: Sometimes a roof can naturally reach the end of its useful life without experiencing a roof failure. It just looks old and worn, and you are doing preventive maintenance on your home. If replacing an old roof is delayed, however, it could result in bigger problems down the road. So watch for the warning signs to be sure to give yourself plenty of time to add the project to your TO DO list. 

Potential signs that your roof may need to be replaced: 

• Shingle edges are curled or shingle tabs are cupped
• Bald spots where granules are missing
• Cracked shingles
• Your roof is at least 20 years old; while many shingles today are produced for durability, many factors can accelerate the aging of shingles. For example, if your roof is not properly ventilated, it can negatively impact your shingles 
• Neighbors are getting new roofs. Homes built around the same time period can experiencing the same types of weather conditions can mean that your roof is nearing its useful life 
• The roof just looks old and worn
• Dark streaks. Airborne algae cause dark streaks on roof decks. While this may not necessarily harm the roof shingles, it may not look good. Algae streaks can be removed using a 50:50 blend of water and bleach sprayed on your roof. It is important to use a low volume garden hose so you do not knock the protective granules off your shingles. It is also important that you protect your landscaping from the bleach run-off. 
• Moss. Moss can grow on roof surfaces that don’t get much sunlight especially in cool, moist climates. Moss growth can be more than a cosmetic issue. Moss holds moisture against the roof surface and overtime in freezing climates can cause damage to the granules on the top of the shingles. Moss can be brushed off but it won’t prevent it from growing again; take care not to damage the shingle surface. You may need to contact a professional roofing contractor. 

There are many more terms not covered in this list. We hope this has been helpful and if you have any suggestions to include, please let us an email:

[email protected] put in subject line Reasons for a New Roof Suggestions

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