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7 Clear Signs You Need a New Roof

If there’s one part of your home you probably don’t want to deal with, it’s the roof. Whether you don’t want to have to climb up onto the roof yourself, or pay someone else tens of thousands of dollars to do it, the roof is usually a space you’d like to avoid.

Sometimes you won’t be able to turn a blind eye to what’s going on above your head. Here are a few warning signs that it’s high time you look into getting a new roof.

1. Plant Life Has Landed

If green things are starting to grow on your roof, that’s not a good sign. Moss, algae, and vines can all latch on and start to proliferate, finding a solid base in the nooks and crannies of your crumbling roofing material.

They might carry an unwanted amount of moisture with them, which is bad for maintaining the integrity of the roof. Of course, if you’ve spotted this growth early on, you can kill it with chemicals. If things have reached the point of no return, and the moss over your home is starting to feel like a seven-headed hydra, you may need to explore the possibility of a new roof.

There could also be growth underneath the roof, meaning that the green you see is really just the tip of the iceberg.

2. Damaged Flashing is Evident

This refers to the material placed around chimneys, skylights and where sections meet (valleys and hips) or meet the walls.

Flashing is what seals off the roof from water damage, but if it looks like it’s bent out of shape (and has been for a while), your roof may be damaged beyond repair. In this case, you’d want to get a roofer or home inspector to come out and examine the area around the flashing, because you probably won’t be able to assess the scope of damage from outside.

3. Leaking Occurs In and Out of the House

This is probably the most obvious sign that you need to explore the option of a new roof. If you’ve cleaned out the gutters, but are still seeing water damage on the side of the home, there might be an underwater creek running in the dark cave under your roof.

Even worse, if you’re seeing a lot of leaking inside of your home, you know there are serious structural problems with your roof. If left unattended, the water damage can spread, creating mold, discoloration, and possibly even leading to the ceiling caving in.

The fun doesn’t stop there! Water continues to get pulled toward the earth by this amazing thing called gravity, so it will (by any means necessary) keep moving toward its destination: your foundation. If you see some water damage in the basement, it could be coming from the roof.

If left unfixed, water damage from the roof can literally leave a gaping hole through your home, destroying it level by level. If you don’t believe us, search for images of abandoned and water-damaged homes on Google.

4. You See Broken Shingles

If your roof looks like Santa Claus attempted to crash land on your roof, it may be time to look into a replacement. The damaged shingles could have come about because of adverse weather, uncaring workmen, or fallen branches.

Damaged tiles can allow water to enter your home, in addition to compromising its insulation. If you’ve recently passed through a series of storms or hurricanes that took a bite out of your roofing material, it’s best practice to hire someone to take a look and assess the damage.

While one or two broken shingles may not be such a bad sign, any more than that can spell trouble. They may even be broken because the roof itself is buckling or warping, which brings us to our next point…

5. You See Buckling Shingles

Buckling shingles are also a bad sign, because they indicate that some part of your roof is warping. Warping comes about from water damage, so somehow, your roof is not keeping rain, snow, or sleet out of your house.

As the saying goes, one thing leads to another, and any warping in the structure of your home could seriously compromise the whole building.

Buckling and/or broken shingles may look charming and add some character to your abode, but probably not at the price you’re willing to pay.

6. The Roof Lines Are Sagging

If you notice that suddenly your home looks like a building from ToonTown, it’s probably best to get someone qualified looking at it ASAP. Sagging roof lines can indicate that the house is ready to come down at any second, and not from a stirring performance.

This sign is indicative of some potentially imminent danger, and must not be ignored. Of course, if you do ignore it, everyone will look at your home like it’s some abandoned farmhouse.

You know, the kind that could be on the set of films like Children of the Corn. Do yourself (and your family) a favor and take immediate action if you see sagging roof lines.

7. Everyone Else Is Doing It

If a few of your neighbors are replacing their roofs, ask around and see why. Maybe all the homes in the neighborhood were built around the same time (a pretty common phenomena in most suburban locations).

That means if everyone else is replacing their roof because of its age, you should too—or at least look into it. Although it might be too late this time around, whenever you move into a new home, it’s a good idea to get some information from the agent, inspector, or previous owner, such as how old the roof is, and when it might need to be replaced.

Watch for Signs You Need a New Roof

There you have it: a few signs that it may be time to replace your roof. Plant growth, damaged materials, buckling, leaking, sagging, and just plain old keeping up with the neighbors are all good reasons to consider getting a new roof.

Now before you get too worried about the cost, keep in mind that getting a new roof might not be as expensive as you think. A new roof does not necessarily mean that you have to get new beams—it could just mean replacing the outer, exterior layer.

Of course, if you do that right away, you most likely won’t have to do the more serious work of replacing the actual structure of the roof, which could happen if you continue to ignore the signs we discussed.

Moreover, the roofers can replace your roofing material with a more durable and more affordable option, due to the numerous advances in construction and material-related sciences that have occurred over the past few decades. You can now get materials like stone-covered steel, which are hurricane resistant and can last for a century…or you could settle for plain asphalt shingles.

Whatever you choose, make sure you choose something, because a collapsed roof is one problem that isn’t worth avoiding.

Trust Feldco Roofing for Your New Roof

If any of these signs describe your situation, then you can count on us for the best roof replacement in the Chicagoland area. We’re an Owens Corning Preferred contractor and use only the best products and installers for your new roof.

Get started on your roofing project today by getting a free quote online and see why people trust Feldco Roofing!

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