Home › Forums › WSB Reader Recommendations › How does one decide if they need a new roof?
- This topic has 9 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 2 years, 3 months ago by Vanessa.
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October 16, 2014 at 3:56 am #612940
MellyMelParticipantIt seems like any opinion on if I need a new roof given to me by a roofer is going to be “why yes, let’s get you scheduled”
So how do I get an assessment that doesn’t have a conflict of interest?
October 16, 2014 at 4:54 am #815099
SueParticipantKeep in mind that I’m not a homeowner, so I might be totally off base, but what about the inspectors that one hires when you’re buying a house? I would assume they would be objective since they’re not selling you a roof. I don’t know if they’ll do an inspection one one item (as opposed to whole house inspections), but you could ask.
October 16, 2014 at 2:19 pm #815100
wakefloodParticipantConcur with Sue. As a homeowner, I’d suggest you look into an inspector who does the work for homebuyers. Might cost you $100 but you can feel confident there’s no CoI.
And I actually have a longtime friend who owns a roofing company. He’s got plenty of booked work and wouldn’t try to sell you if your roof was still good to go.
Generally speaking, you get about 25yrs. or so around here for a standard composite shingle roof, what with our weather and depending on your location. I’ve seen them get 35 too but that’s pushing it. If your roof is between 10-15yrs. you might be able to get another 10+ if you just have a spot or two that needs patching?
Good luck!
October 16, 2014 at 2:53 pm #815101
KatherineLParticipantI can’t speak to all roofers, but I had one look at my roof this summer. I was sure I needed a new one. He looked it over, climbed down, and said, “You’ve got another five to ten years in this one.” There are some honest roofers out there.
October 16, 2014 at 2:58 pm #815102
JTBParticipantIf you belong to Homeowners Club, they can provide some referrals for inspectors/ structural engineers to check out your roof.
October 16, 2014 at 3:33 pm #815103
datamuseParticipantSome inspections are more thorough than others, but the place to start would be the results of the home inspection, and whether the inspector gave any estimates on how much longer the roof would last. We replaced ours a bit late, pushing the edge of Wakeflood’s 25 years; what finally did it was that windstorm we had some years back. The shingles were so brittle that a lot of them snapped off. We patched the broken ones but it was definitely time to do the whole thing.
Have a few roofers take a look if you’re not sure, and use referrals. We ended up going with a guy a friend of ours recommended; the friend was initially going to do the job, but hurt his back and had to back out.
October 16, 2014 at 4:23 pm #815104
pug loverMemberWhen it leaks
October 16, 2014 at 4:52 pm #815105
dhgParticipantThere ARE honest roofers out there who don’t mind spending a little time with you to look it over and provide an opinion. I recommend Jonathan Baldivino, Roofscapes NW, roofscapesnw@gmail.com,
206-397-6732. He’s in the business because he enjoys it and he’s not trying to fill in time slots to keep the crew busy. Highly recommended.
October 17, 2014 at 4:08 am #815106
MellyMelParticipantThanks for the answers everyone, you’ve given me some things to look into – I appreciate it.
January 20, 2022 at 9:44 am #1025885
VanessaParticipantAren’t estimates free? Get 2-3 companies to give you them.
Is it possible for you be on the roof while they explain things? (Our is nearly flat and could see what they were talking about.)
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