Should You Get a New Roof Before Winter?

Winter in New England means snow, ice, and the potential for damage to your roof. To prevent this from happening to your home, you should make sure your roof is in good shape before the bad weather comes. Fall is a popular time for roof replacements or repairs to ensure homes will make it through the winter without any damage. There are many factors to consider when deciding if it is time for a complete roof replacement.

How Old is Your Roof?

Professionally installed roofs with quality materials can last decades, but they will all reach their limits after a certain amount of time. If your roof is 20 years old or older, you should at least have it professionally inspected for signs of damage or deterioration before any serious winter storms come. Often times aging of the roof’s shingle layer is visible to the naked eye from the ground. For example, moss can hold moisture and cause damage to the roof, and fading might mean your shingles have reached their age limit – UV rays can cause damage to the waterproof aspect.

Are There Curled or Missing Shingles?

Curled or missing shingles are a sure sign your roof needs some work. Shingles are an important outer layer of the roof that protect the layers underneath them, and they need to be properly in place to do so. The condition of this layer is crucial for all other parts of a roofing system. If you can see that shingles are curled or missing, this means the shingle layer is damaged and is not efficient or protective. You should especially check for shingle damage if your area experiences high winds.

Have You Experienced Recent Leaks?

Frequent or excessive leaking is a sure sign you need roof work done. Ignoring this sign will lead to serious water damage inside & outside of your home, and might damage your furniture & belongings too. Leaking confined to one spot might warrant a repair, but if you have leaks throughout your home, this leans more towards needing a roof replacement. If you don’t fix this issue before winter, the leaks will only get worse and can lead to serious damage.

Although fall is a great time to replace or repair your roof, you can still have work done come winter. If you would like to look into options for your home’s roofing system, please contact Driscoll Contracting at 781-405-5584 or [email protected]