ROOF REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT?
Serving Northern California Since 1987
“No other Roofing Company in Northern California Inspects, Repairs and Certifies More Roofs; or, Solves More Roof Leak Problems”
Roof Repair or Replacment? ROOF DOCTORS AFFORDABLE ROOF REPAIRS
Roof Repair or Replacement – For a Healthy and Worry Free Roof
Save Money
Roof repair or replacement is the important question. Replacing a roof can be costly, and is often unnecessary. At Roof Doctors, we specialize in saving you money with affordable roof repairs, extending the life of your roof in the process.
Save Time
The longer you wait to perform a roof repair, the damage to your roof can increase accordingly. Repairs are easier and less expensive the sooner you take care of them. Wait too long, and it may cost you.
Then Relax
A healthy and leak free roof will continue to bring you peace of mind long into the future. Continue to take good care of your roof now, and it will take care of you when you need it most.
Repair vs. Replacement
WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW WHEN DECIDING TO EITHER REPAIR OR TO REPLACE MY ROOF?
Roof Repair or Replacment? Whether to entirely replace a roof, or to simply repair it, can be one of the most agonizing decisions that a homeowner can make with regard to their home. Some homeowners will neglect any necessary maintenance and repairs on a roof until there is evidence of either interior water damage or exterior dry-rot damage caused by roof leakage. Other homeowners will demand a roof replacement even though the useful life of the roof can be extended after repairs have been made to it.
Many real estate transactions hang in the balance or are terminated when a buyer, who has limited resources and is buying a home in as-is condition, is required to obtain a roof certification from their lender, only to be told by their roofing company that they need a costly roof replacement. There are several important things that should be considered when attempting to make the decision between either roof repair or replacement.
WHAT IS THE AGE OF THE CURRENT ROOFING MATERIAL?
Whenever a new roof is installed on a home, the manufacturer produces their roofing material to last for a certain period of time. It is important to know when the home was built or when the roof was last replaced on a home. To gain an exact determination, one can check the city or county building department to find out when the last permit was issued for a roof installation.
The manufacturer’s life of their product is only a barometer and should not be considered as an exact science, because many roofs will exceed and go beyond their estimated life with some maintenance and repairs. The following are some examples, in general, of the estimated life of certain roofing materials:
- 3-Tab Composition (20 Years)
- Dimensional Composition (25-40 Years)
- Presidential Composition (40-50 Years)
- Tile (40-50 Years)
- Wood Shake (20-30 Years)
- Steel (40-50 Years)
WHAT DOES THE ROOF WITH SOUTHERN-MOST EXPOSURE LOOK LIKE?
The south side of the home is the side that is exposed to the sun all day as the sun travels from east to west across the sky. The north side of the home is in the shade all day and never receives any sunlight. Many of the rainstorms and winds in northern California come from the south. The part of the roof with southern exposure receives the most wear because of prolonged sunlight and wind exposure.
If any underlayment were to become exposed because of broken or slipped tiles, excessive granulation loss on a composition roof, or in the keyways of a wood shake roof, then the underlayment will dry and crack from being exposed to the wind and sun, which will then allow rainwater to intrude directly into the attic during the rainy season. You will notice this on a composition roof, where the granulation is worn more on the south side then any other side. You will also notice this on wood shake roofs, where the shakes are more worn, brittle and dry on the south side. In general, the extent of the repair to an older shake roof or an older composition roof can depend heavily on the amount of damage to those parts of the roof with the most southern exposures.
Have you received another opinion that contradicts Roof Doctors’ report?
Often times, 2 different roofers or a home inspector and a roofer will have different opinions on what needs to be repaired and what the condition of the roof is. Why is this?
First off, an inspection is subjective based on the inspector’s experience and the company’s current practices and policies based on past experiences. Second, the company or individual may not be from a licensed roofing company and may not have all of the proper licensing and bonds that protect you. Third, if the company is not willing to certify (warranty) the roof for 2 years, they can call as little as they want to try to be more competitive and get your money. If it leaks, they never have to answer your calls or come back out and fix it.
When offering a 2 year certification on a roof, the company is putting their neck out there and taking a risk on a roof they didn’t install. To sometimes require more repairs in order to do this makes sense, considering the repairs will be at their own cost if it leaks.
Roof Doctors sees more leaks each year than most companies and from this experience has learned that some things that may not be as obvious to a less experienced roofer or a home inspector actually can cause very bad leaks. Other differences may be another company trying to call out items that, though may not be technically correct and to code, will probably not leak or decrease the life of the roof. Roof Doctors always tries to call out as little as possible, while still addressing any issues that may lead to failure or leaks in the near the future. Roof repair or replacement is the important question.
REPAIRING, NOT REPLACING
WILL THE ROOF BE CERTIFIABLE FROM FUTURE LEAKS IF REPAIRS ARE MADE?
A roof certification is when a roofing company, for an additional fee, will obligate themselves to repair any future roof leak on the entire roof, at their own expense, during the term of their roof certification. Keep in mind that not all roof certifications are the same thing. Never use a roofing contractor who will issue a roof certification, but will not provide a future roof leak warranty for the entire roof. Some roof certifications can be very misleading, because they may meet the requirement to satisfy a condition to close a real estate transaction, but they are absolutely worthless if there is a future roof leak.
A comprehensive roof certification, is in essence, your guarantee that the useful life of the roof and its functionality will continue throughout the term of the roof certification, and that the roofing contractor will make sure of it, by being responsible for any future roof leak. In any event, if a roofing company informs you that your roof is not certifiable, then they are telling you that it needs to be replaced.
ALWAYS OBTAIN OTHER OPINIONS IF YOU ARE EVER TOLD THAT YOUR ROOF NEEDS TO BE REPLACED OR IS NOT CERTIFIABLE
HOW CAN I OBTAIN A COMPLIMENTARY ROOF INSPECTION AND FREE ROOF REPORT TO ASSIST IN MY ROOF REPAIR VS. ROOF REPLACEMENT DECISION?
It is easy to obtain information on whether or not your roof can be repaired or whether it needs to be replaced. Roof Doctors provides Free Roof Inspections and Free Roof Reports for any property transaction. Our Complimentary Roof Inspection is usually completed within 1 to 2 business days. Our Free Roof Report is issued later in the day of the inspection and will describe the current conditions of the roof, any conditions that need immediate action, any conditions that need action to prevent a future roof problem, and whether or not, our “No-Dollar Limitation Roof Certification Leak Warranty” can be issued after the repairs have been made.
Our “No-Dollar Limitation Roof Certification Leak Warranty” is a roof leak warranty for the entire roof. If we are unable to perform repairs on a roof to bring it into a condition to where we can certify the entire roof from leaks during the term of the roof certification, then we are telling you that the roof needs to be replaced. Order an Inspection through our website HERE. Contact us via email, telephone or our website to order your Complimentary Roof Inspection and Free Roof Report. Roof repair or replacement is the important question.
See our Areas Served page to see what areas we service and what services we provide in those areas.
WE WON’T TRY TO SELL YOU A NEW ROOF