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The last thing any person wants to do is spend several thousand pounds on a new roof.\u00a0 However, if you wait too long, then you open the interior of your home to significant damage.\u00a0 Your roof keeps out the worst of the elements, including the damaging effects of rain and water on your possessions.\u00a0 When your roof gets older, water could penetrate in, and you will pay more in heating due to worse insulation and you even run the risk of a partial roof collapse.<\/p>\n
With that in mind, let\u2019s take a moment to review several ways you can tell if you need a new roof.<\/p>\n
1.\u00a0 Check Material Life<\/strong><\/p>\n The easiest thing you can do is to check the material you used and compare that to the installation date.\u00a0 If your roofing material is concrete for example, then there is generally no need to replace unless significant damage has been caused to the roof.<\/p>\n Cedar on the other hand requires replacement every 20 years.\u00a0 Tiles, like shale, clay, and ceramic require replacement every 30 years.\u00a0 Count forward from the last roof installation and if you are within a decade of the material\u2019s end life, then consider a visual inspection.\u00a0 If you are not, and you have noticed nothing wrong, like an increase in heating costs or water getting in, then you are probably safe.<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0 Visually Inspect the Roof<\/strong><\/p>\n When inspecting the roof, first look for sagging, dark spots, dark trails, outside light showing through, and signs of water damage.\u00a0 Any of these mean that it may be time to replace your roof immediately.<\/p>\n 3.\u00a0 Visually Inspect Tiles<\/strong><\/p>\n Along with checking the roof in its entirety, focus on individual tiles and look for weather related damage.\u00a0 For shingle roofs, rotting is a big cause of future roof damage.\u00a0 For tiled roofs, inspect for fractures and broken tiles.\u00a0 In addition, try not to walk on the tiles yourself.\u00a0 On their own tiles can last upwards of 100 years.<\/p>\n