The house insulates us from the sultry hot summer temperatures, shields us from springs gale force winds and protects us from the winters subzero temperature. But come to think of it, it?? not the house but the roof that does it all for us. Still we spend more money on decorating our place, laying carpets and placing paintings and don?? worry about the most important part of the house.
But when it starts giving us trouble, we blame the environment or the contractors or anybody but ourselves while the truth is that from the time the roof has been laid we haven?? bothered to check on it even once.
An asphalt composition roof will last you typically 25 years with minimum maintenance. But with zero repair work the roof may give out within 15 years or so. Sun is the main culprit. It ages your roof in the way it ages your skin. It causes the shingles to loose their paint/ protective coating, expand in summers and contract in winters and finally cracking after 15 to 20 years.
So when do you know that you need re roofing? The roof is covered with thick layer of asphalt which serves as water redundant and minute granules are used to coat it to provide color and reflect heat. A build up of granules indicates loose or missing shingles and it is a clear sign that the stained and rotted shingles need replacement and the leaks need fixing.
Although reroofing doesn?? need require high skill with construction materials but if you prefer re roofing yourself, be extremely cautious. A bad fall may cost more than 3 times the entire cost of re roofing. So be prepared to buy expensive safety lines as well as scaffolding and ladders.