How do you know it’s time for a new roof in Fort Collins? Do you know what to look for? Do you feel comfortable climbing up a ladder and walking around on your roof? Each roofing material has it’s own signs of wear or damage. Some signs are obvious, such as missing material. Other signs are less obvious. Below we list each roofing material we often install for homeowners, and what signs of wear or damage to look for.
When you’re ready for a new roof in Fort Collins, contact us for a free inspection and estimate.
Asphalt shingles
One of the nice things about asphalt shingles is that they are flexible. A flexible roofing product can be installed onto curved roof decks, or onto roof valleys, can be cut easily. This flexibility comes with a downside, however. That is, they can curl or bend from wind, or crack in extremely dry conditions or from age. When asphalt shingles curl or crack, they are no longer sealed and rain can get underneath or through them. A leaking roof leads to more serious problems.
A number of things can cause missing shingles. 1. Improperly installed high quality asphalt shingles can be blow-off from average winds. 2. Strongs enough winds can blow-off correctly installed shingles. 3. An inferior shingle product can also be blow-off with average winds. If your roof is relatively new and you’re missing a lot of shingles or a lot of shingles are loose, contact the roofing company that installed them. They may have been installed incorrectly. They should be under warranty and fix the issue. So, if you’re missing a lot asphalt shingles, consider which product you purchased, whether they were installed correctly or not, and how strong the winds were.
Missing granules are a sign of old age or excessive hail damage. If you’re seeing a lot of granules on the ground or in your gutters, that’s a sign that you might need a new roof. At a minimum, have your roof inspected.
Even if your asphalt shingle roof hasn’t been abused from hail or wind, isn’t curly or cracked, or isn’t missing any shingles or granules, it could be at the end of it’s life cycle and it should be inspected to determine if it should be replaced. There may not be obvious signs to you that your roof is failing. Most professional roofing companies, such as ours, inspect roofs for free. Have it inspected and let them determine if your Fort Collins roof should be replaced.
It’s time for a new asphalt shingle roof in Fort Collins if you notice these signs:
- Curled Shingles
- Cracked Shingles
- Missing Shingles
- Missing Granules
- Excessive Hail Damage
- Excessive Wind Damage
Stone-Coated Metal Shingles or Tile
Stone-coated metal shingles and tile use the same granules as asphalt shingles do to protect the asphalt or bitumen from solar ultraviolet radiation. And, just like traditional shingles, those granules can come off from age or hail damage. So, if you see excessive granules on the ground or in your gutters, do not ignore it. Have your roof inspected by a roofing professional to determine if it’s time for a new roof.
Hail does not discriminate. Hail will abuse anything in its path, and that includes metal shingles and tile. If you have a metal shingle or tile roof, congratulations! It will take a better beating than asphalt shingles will, and last a lot longer. However, it is still prone to excessive hail damage. Large hail stones can still dislodge granules and dent the metal. If a hail storm has just moved through your neighborhood, have your roof inspected. Any professional roofing company will inspect your roof for free, and let you know what they find.
Cracked metal shingles or tiles are most often caused by very large hail stones or other large objects, such as a tree branch. A cracked metal roof means a leaking roof. A leaking roof leads to mold in your attic, stains on your ceiling, electrical shorts, and more. All this means you spending a lot money to fix it. If high winds or a hail storm has just come through your neighborhood, have your roof inspected for any damage. This includes unsealed seams.
Signs You Need A New Stone-Coated Metal Shingle or Tile Roof:
- Missing Granules
- Excessive Hail Damage
- Cracked Shingles
Standing Seam Metal Roofing
A standing seam metal roof is one of the most durable roofs. There are no granules to lose to hail. Seams are highly unlikely to be separated from wind. Metal is much stronger than the asphalt and fiberglass in traditional shingles, and because a metal roof is secured to the roof deck with screws instead of nails, a metal roof is much more likely to stay down and resist high winds. That said, strong enough winds can still loosen metal panels, if not completely remove them, especially if they weren’t installed correctly. Metal will not curl, like asphalt shingles do. However, like stone-coated metal shingles and tile, a standing seam metal roof is still susceptible to large hail damage in that they can dent and possibly crack. Therefore, as with any roofing product, after a several storm has rolled through your neighborhood, have your roof inspected.
Metal is one the longest-lasting roofing materials on the market. It does not, however, last forever. Most metal roofing products last 50, 70 years or more. If you have a metal panel roof, and you know it’s approaching 50-70 years old, get it inspected by a roofing professional to determine if it’s time to replace it due to age.
As the metal panels expand and contract, and move and rub against the screws and flashing, and after repeated hail storms, the metal simply wears out. There does come a point where the entire metal roof just needs to be replaced.
Common sign it’s time for a new metal panel roof:
- Excessive Hail Damage
Clay and Concrete Tiles
Roofing tiles, be it clay or concrete, are great roofing products. Both are recyclable here in Fort Collins, which keeps them out of our local landfill. Clay tiles have a high heat emittance value and a relatively high solar reflectivity, which makes them ‘cool’. But, tiles do have their drawbacks. They are prone to breaking, especially from walking on them, such as during installation. Large hail stones can also break them. Once broken, they can become loose and fall to the ground. Loose tiles can become airborne in strong winds. Clay and concrete roofing tiles often last 50 to 100 years or more.
Common signs it’s time to replace your tile roof:
- Cracked Tiles
- Missing Tiles
- Loose Tiles
Wood Shake
A real wood shake roof is very attractive on a home. It’s natural and environmentally-friendly. But, you need to make sure it’s treated regularly. If you have a wood shake roof in Fort Collins that isn’t treated on a regular basis, it will absorb moisture, making it susceptible to mold and rotting. Which will in turn prematurely cause your roof to fail. When you inspect your roof for mold, look around the edges of each shake, close to the gutters, as that’s where it typically grows.
Mold and rot, as well as hail and other debris hitting your roof, will also cause wood shake to split. When it splits, it’s prone to falling or blowing off. Wood shake also has a tendency to curl or cup. This is as a result of it absorbing moisture from rain and melting snow.
A great alternative to real wood shake is Westlake Royal Roofing’s Pine-Crest Shake stone-coated metal shingles. They’re still environmentally-friendly since they’re recyclable. What’s more, they aren’t made from trees, so you’re not contributing to deforestation.
It’s time to replace your wood shake roof in Fort Collins when you see these problems:
- Rot
- Mold
- Curling
- Split
- Missing Wood Shake
Modified Bitumen (ModBit)
Although ModBit is used on low-slope or flat roofs, a lot of modern homes have some section of their roof that is low-sloped. In these areas, we often use ModBit. Also, some home additions and detached garages have ModBit. As with asphalt shingles, modified bitumen is also susceptible to granule loss, cracking, and excessive hail damage. However, it is also succeptible to rippling, which leads to water ponding or pooling, which leads to ModBit prematurely breaking down and leaking.
EPDM
Not only do we install a lot of EPDM onto commercial buildings, we also install it onto many home additions and detached garages in Fort Collins. EPDM is a great single-ply, low-sloped roofing product. However, it is somewhat vulnerable to punctures, such as from fallen tree braches. Which is why it’s not a good idea to have trees over your home or garage.
If strong winds have recently come through your neighborhood, and trees are near your EPDM roof, inspect your roof for fallen branches. Remove any debris from your roof, being careful if you walk on it. EPDM is relatively easy to patch and repair. The sooner a puncture is patched, the better.
EPDM is the longest-lasting of the single-ply roofing membranes we offer, at around 30 years. If you know your EPDM is close to 30 years old, have it inspected by a commercial roofing professional to determine if it’s time for a new one.
The Bottom Line
As homeowners, sometimes it’s difficult to inspect your roof on your own, or to know when it’s time for a new roof in Fort Collins. It can also be very dangerous to climb onto your roof. That’s why we offer free inspection and estimates. If you notice any of the above signs, it might be time for a new roof.