When to Install a New Roof?
The roof is one of the most important parts of your house when it comes to protecting the rest of the building and its occupants from extreme weather conditions. However, many roofs are in a state of disrepair, and they are left to worsen before people are willing to act and either pay for decent repairs or bite the bullet and have a new roof fitted. Paying for patched repairs or doing them yourself, when you don't really know what you are doing, may seem cheaper in the short term but it won't be long before you have to patch holes on a regular basis. One of the most effective ways to lengthen the lifespan of any roof is with regular maintenance and checks conducted by a professional.
The life of your roof
Knowing how long to install a new roof really is a question of knowing how well the existing roof has been looked after. Many new roofs come with a life of up to 20 years and some more durable and hard wearing roofs can have a life as long as 40 or 50 years. But if you don't care for your roof and regularly have it checked and maintained you face a risk of substantially decreasing this lifespan. When you have a new roof fitted you should, as far as possible, pay as much as you can afford to ensure that you get as long a life as possible with your new roof.
Taking the plunge
Having a new roof fitted will mean an upheaval in your life. It may be necessary to move out while the work is being done so it is important to know how long to install a new roof will take. Unfortunately, the answer isn't straight forward. Everything depends on the size of the roof, the shape of the roof and exactly what you are having fitted. Applying a single layer of shingles on an existing roof will likely only take a few days but having your existing roof completely removed and an entirely new one built can take weeks. To get an accurate idea you should get a quote from a professional roofing contractor and ensure that this information will be included. Do be aware that things can go wrong and even when there is nothing wrong with the roof a sudden change in the weather can set the construction of your new roof back dramatically.
Start as you mean to go on
Once you have your new roof fitted you shouldn't just assume that because it comes with a ten-year warranty you won't need to do anything about maintenance for ten years. Try to have an annual check up to make sure everything is ok because if a small problem is found early it can be fixed before it grows into a larger and more costly problem.
October, 2005
Copyright 2005 Roofer 911.com. All Rights Reserved
by Steven Briesemeister. Reprinted courtesy of Roofer 911.com, roofing contractor serving Long Island, Queens, Brooklyn, NY and northern Virginia.