What is the Life Cycle of a Roof?

How to Know When It's Time to Replace Your Roof?

We can all certainly agree that no matter how wonderful a building is, whether it is a home or a business, it’s only as good as the roof that keeps it safe from the elements. It is the roof that keeps water from invading your personal space and ruining the things that you own; keeps you warm, safe, and dry. The life cycle of a roof is directly related to the materials used.

The type of roof you have installed on your house may be a regional choice, such as the terracotta tiles often used on Florida home roofs. These provided an insulating factor that allowed heat to be moved and distributed underneath them, creating an airflow that isn’t possible with other types of roofing materials. They are, however, an expensive and somewhat antiquated roofing method. They also wear and need to be replaced. In fact, all roofing materials eventually need to be replaced and a roof can fall into a state of disrepair. How do you know when it is time to replace your roof? Will you know before the rain finds its way inside, dripping like the steady beat of a drum?

Here Comes The Rain Again

When the rain comes, especially to a city like Denver that is often in a state of drought conditions, rain should be a happy event. If you’ve got a leaking roof, it isn’t a happy event at all. If your roof leaks, it can eventually rot the wood that is the structural integrity of your home; the bones upon which your home is dependant.

When rain threatens the very structure of your home and your belongings inside, a Denver roofing company is ready to help. Ideally, you should have them come and check your roof each year, to ensure that the structure is sound. You should restore your roof and rebuild when necessary, before the rain comes and before the leaking starts. How will you know?

Older homes with shingle roofing will know it is time to be concerned and have their roof inspected when bald spots are present in the granulation of the shingles. If the edges of the shingles are beginning to turn upward and curl, they will be turned into sails in the next high winds.

If your roof is more than twenty-years-old, it is time to have it looked at and consider replacing. Even though many roofing materials are guaranteed to last beyond that period of time, there are still many reasons that a roof can fail at twenty years. Extreme heat, rain, high winds, tornado or hurricane activity are all capable of rendering a roof damaged enough to require repairs or total replacement.

Metal roofing is often used and considered to be one of the long term replacements on the market but they are not good in all circumstances. Check with professional builders and roofing companies in your area to find out what the best replacement for your area is. A new roof will come with a guarantee, will increase the resale value of your home, and likely last for the rest of the time you live in your home. Most people don’t live in the same home for more than twenty years anymore. Changing family sizes and more transient work opportunities have made our society more transient as well.

Your home is an investment and a very good way to earn more interest on your money than any other investment you’ll ever make. Look at a roof replacement as an increase in your investment fund.