You may take a lot of chances in your life, but when it comes to your roof, you do not want to take chances. Everything valuable is under your roof, from your personal belongings to your family. If your roof fails, repair costs can quickly eat you alive. When it comes time to decide whether you need to repair or replace the roof on your home, here are a few things that you need to take into consideration.

Replacing the Shingles

If you are lucky, and sometimes we all are, what looks like a major problem at first glance ends up being a minor issue and can be repaired with new shingles. However, it is important to have a professional inspect the roof thoroughly prior to assuming that you’ve dodged a bullet. While you may think that you just need to replace an area of windblown shingles, it may actually be a leak that goes deep into the roof layers.

Repairing Damaged Areas

If you believe that you only have small areas that are damaged and the bulk of the roof is undamaged then these small areas may be able to be patched up with little issue. However, like in the above case, it is a good idea to hire a professional for an inspection to ensure that you are correct with your determination. If there is any moisture inside the attic or you have curling or buckling shingles, then you have a more serious problem on your hands and the entire roof may need to be replaced for safety. If your roof is sagging, then it will need to be replaced as soon as possible.

You Can’t Put A New Roof Over a Bad One

Some homeowners think that since you can simply replace bad shingles with good ones and patch bad sections of a roof that you can put a new roof over a bad one. Unfortunately, this is not the case, and it is actually a really bad idea, though people still try to do it. If you have a damaged roof, there is a good chance that moisture has seeped into the home already. Also, homes are designed to hold up to one roof. So, if you have more than one roof, the structural integrity of the home is going to suffer.

How to Know When It Is Time for a Brand-New Roof

There will likely come a time when repairing your roof won’t get the job done and replacement will be necessary. For instance, if there has been extensive water damage possibly from a storm and moisture has made its way into the home, a roof replacement will be necessary. Age plays a huge factor as well, such as a 25-year-old roof with leaks. Of course, if you have a 5-year-old roof that is leaking, it is probably a sign that it was poorly installed—though it may still need to replaced.

There are many factors that come into play when it comes to determining whether a roof needs to be repaired or replaced, which is why it is important to have a professional inspection performed. Contact the professionals at Chadwick Roofing for more information.