Sometimes, there are pretty clear signs that your home’s roof needs to be replaced. Often, though, homeowners aren’t sure when an aging roof is ready for a remodel. Your roof doesn’t need to look like it’s caving in before you decide to replace it. Replacing your roof before it becomes an emergency can save you money and headaches.
When You Have Signs of Roof Damage
Most homeowners know what a really worn roof looks like. You’ll see missing shingles or tiles that are obviously broken. The roof might be sagging or faded. When it rains, you may experience indoor leaks.
However, there are fewer clear signs of roof damage for homeowners to look for during biannual inspections and after major storms. These include:
- Asphalt shingles that are warped, cupped, or split
- Degranulation of the surface of asphalt shingles
- Mold, moss, etc., that indicated retained moisture
- Divots in shingles or cracks in tiles from hailstones
- Odor of mold or mildew inside near the ceiling
Failing to address this damage can accelerate further roof degradation, leading to an emergency repair rather than a well-planned remodel on your preferred timeline.
The good news is that roofing options such as metal roofing can last decades longer than traditional asphalt shingles, clay tiles, and wood shingles. It also requires far less maintenance because it’s resistant to rust, oxidation, and mold and mushrooms.
When Your Roof Can’t Stand Up to Severe Weather
One reason homeowners see extensive roof damage is that the roofing material isn’t designed to withstand extreme weather. Statistics from this decade and earlier indicate that severe weather of all kinds is worsening nationwide.
While they may still be labeled “once in a century” incidents, these storms are occurring much more frequently. And often, they’re in places you wouldn’t expect. We’ve seen several ice storms pummel Texas and had snow in Florida. Hurricane winds reached inland as far as Ohio. Massachusetts experienced tornadoes, and California's wildfire season is now effectively year-round, with devastating megafires thatcreate their own weather patterns.
To combat these risks, homeowners need roofing that offers:
- Resistance to impact, like hailstones in the 2 to 2.5-inch range
- Protection from wind-driven rain at high wind speeds
- The ability to resist wind uplift in hurricane-force-level winds
- The highest fire rating possible from Underwriters Laboratories
- Sturdy but lightweight construction that can handle snow and ice
While other homeowners are considering moving away because of weather risks, you can remain where you like with the right roof.
When Your Insurance Company Raises Your Rates
It’s been all over the news lately that insurance companies are tightening their coverage. Many have started acquiring aerial images with drones to inspect roofs for “end of life” characteristics such as curling and staining.
The homeowner is then sent a notice requiring them to replace the roof within a few months or risk losing all coverage. In other instances, homeowners are seeing their premiums skyrocket or having their claims denied.
Image Source: ABC7 San Francisco
Metal roofing is a material insurance companies favor. This is because of its aforementioned longevity and resistance to severe weather. In fact, many homeowners with metal roofing enjoy insurance discounts, while their neighbors may be losing their policies.
When You Plan to Sell Your Home
Are you planning to list your home soon, or maybe flip a property? You don’t want the closing held up by a failing roof inspection that would add a contingency to your sale or lower the price. If the roof is bad enough, the deal may fall through entirely.
A 2023-2024 Trends Report from the National Association of Home Inspectors analyzed more than 500,000 inspections. The conclusion was that roof age or deterioration was reported in nearly 40% of inspection reports and was among the top reasons buyers backed out of sales or requested deep concessions.
If your roof is nearing the end of its useful life, it’s smart to replace it before listing the property. And if you choose a metal roof, you can increase your home’s value by up to 6%. That’s a double win for you as the seller.
Want a triple victory? A metal roof can also boost your home’s curb appeal. Choose the right brand, and you’ll find metal roofing in a range of colors and designed to look just like shingles, shakes, or tiles to match different architectural styles.
When You Want to Improve Energy Efficiency
Another national phenomenon is the climbing cost of utility bills. As the US experiences increasingly warmer, longer summers, cooling costs can spiral out of control.
If you have an old-fashioned asphalt shingle roof—particularly if it is in a dark color—your roof absorbs the sun’s heat throughout the day. This can make your home uncomfortably hot by afternoon, forcing you to crank up the air conditioning. In turn, your utility bills go up, up, up.
In contrast, a metal roof reflects solar light. Homeowners can reduce warm-weather cooling costs by up to 25% by installing metal roofing.
Speaking of solar light, you can further reduce energy use and expense by adding solar panels to your home. But you need a roof that can handle the extra weight and has the proper reflective surface. Remodeling with a stone-coated metal roof is the right choice here.
Make DECRA Your Top Choice to Replace an Aging Roof
If your aging roof is ready for replacement, DECRA metal roofing is an ideal choice. It offers all the benefits of metal roofing, with an innovative stone coating that has protected homes for generations.
You can even see what DECRA would look like on your home by using our online visualization tool. You’ll see how attractive it is while providing the weather resistance and longevity you need.
That's why we encourage you to request a complimentary DECRA Metal Roofing sample.
It's the perfect opportunity to experience the quality, craftsmanship, and beauty that only DECRA’s stone-coated metal roofing products offer.
Contact us today to order a complimentary sample.
