As the colder, rainier months of the year set in, you may be wondering if your roof will stand up to another winter. How long has it been since you replaced your roof? Have you been seeing trouble spots on your existing roof that might lead to leaks – and the expensive damage that accompanies it? 

The age of the roof should give you a clue as to whether it’s time for a replacement. The average lifespan of a roof usually ranges between 25 to 50 years, but this will vary depending on the materials used. 

Examine Your Roof for Clues

It’s worth taking a moment (perhaps while you’re cleaning leaves out of the gutters) to look for signs that the roof might need replacing. Examine the roof closely, and look for things like cracked shingles, missing shingles, or damaged or curled shingles. Other clues are damage or discoloration around vents, missing granules (the small bits of the shingle’s top layer), moss or algae growth, or damage around chimneys or skylights. In general, saggy or droopy spots are bad news for the health of your roof. A truly bad sign is that you’re finding roofing material in your gutters. 

Cupping or curling. Cupping or curling of shingles can be one of the very first signs a roof needs to be replaced. Look closely at your shingles: are they showing any evidence of peeling away from the courses below them and pointing upward? If so, it’s only a matter of time until water starts to get in (if it hasn’t already!) 

Missing granules. The granules or grit on asphalt shingles are there for a reason: they create a barrier between the sun and the shingle. While it’s normal for a bit of granule to slough off and wind up in the gutters, if you’re seeing excessive amounts of it, this means it’s no longer doing its job protecting the shingle. Minus the protecting surface, the shingles will begin to deteriorate. 

Evidence in the attic. You may also wish to examine the roof from the underside in your attic. Look for signs that the roof is failing such as water damage, animal ingress or places where you can see daylight through the roof. 

Shingles in the yard. This is one of the most ominous signs that a roof is failing, and it’s common to see after autumn storms. Entire shingles laying in your yard mean that parts of your roof are now completely exposed to the elements. 

Even if your roof isn’t showing overt signs of failing, if it’s over 25 years old, now is a good time to plan for a replacement. (It’s often a clue if your neighbors are replacing their roofs if you live in the suburbs because clusters of houses were often built at the same time.) 

Get a Professional Assessment

If you’re unsure about the state of your roof, it’s time to get a professional assessment. Marquis Roofing is a professional, experienced and insured roofing contractor, with over 20 years of experience in New Hampshire roofing. Services include residential roofing, commercial roofing, asphalt shingles, metal, and flat roofing. Our team of professionals provides roof replacements, roof cleaning, and roof repair throughout Southern New Hampshire, in the Nashua/Manchester/Concord region, up through Central NH and the Lakes Region, and we have now expanded into Massachusetts. For more information or an estimate, visit our website or call 603-463-0219.