Is Your Asphalt Roof Old or New? How to Tell
Asphalt shingle roofs last about 20 years. If you haven’t owned your home for very long, you might have a hard time telling how old your roof is. If you know if your roof is old or new, the knowledge can help you decide whether you should be saving money for a new roof. If you’re not sure about the age of your roof, you can learn about a few signs that can indicate the age.
Do you want to make an educated guess about when your roof will need replacement? Examine the outside of the roof, check for building permits, and have your roof checked out by a professional. Follow these tips for more information.
1. Look for Signs of Aging
If properly installed, most roofs will last for many years without exhibiting signs of aging. By the time a roof starts to show signs of age, it is probably already many years old. If your roof is showing wear and tear, this is a good sign you will need to be saving money for a roof replacement in the coming years. Look for the following signs.
Deteriorating Ridge Caps
Ridge caps are the shingles bent over the upper edge of the roof. Deteriorating ridge caps will curl up at the edges, giving your roof a profile like a spinal column. Ridge caps often deteriorate before the rest of the roof. If your ridge caps are deteriorating, this is probably a sign that your roof is already several years old.
Granule Loss
Toward the end of their service life, asphalt shingles will start to lose their granules. You’ll find the granules in the gutters and near the downspouts of your home. If your roof is losing granules in large quantities, this could be a sign that your roof may need replacement soon.
Missing, Damaged Shingles
If the shingles on your roof are relatively new, you should not be able to see any gaps in the shingles or cracks in the material. If you notice missing or damaged shingles, have a roofer check your shingles to tell you if a replacement will be needed soon.
2. Check the Building Permits
Sometimes a roofer will have to pull a permit to have a new roof installed. Both here in Olympia and nearby in Seattle, permits are required.
If permits are required where you live, you may be able to tell how old your roof is by going to the local building codes office and checking the permits on file. If you can’t find a permit on file for your roof, this may mean that your old roof was installed without the proper oversight. In this case, you might to replace the roof to ensure the quality of your roof.
3. Have Your Roof Examined by a Professional Roofer
A professional roofer can generally tell by looking at your home the approximate age of the roof and about how long the roof will last. To find out for sure if your roof is in need of replacement sometime soon, have a roofer examine your home.
Your roofer may not require you to be present during the examination (typically roofers don’t need to come inside the house), but you should still be there to ask questions. Talk your roofer; they can help you make an informed decision about when you should start saving and about how much you should save.
Contact Your Roofing Company Today
Talking to the experts is one of the best ways for you to determine the age and condition of your roof. To find out more about the condition of your roof in Olympia, contact A-1 Roofing Inc. We’ll be happy to answer your questions and give you information about the service life of your roof.