Most homeowners do not spend much time thinking about their roofing system, in fact many wouldn’t even know where to begin to look for signs of damage to their roofing system? Some of the more obvious ones are signs of a water leak, but less obvious signs include feeling a bit chilly in your upstairs rooms or even noticing a difference in temperatures from one room to another. These signs should at the very least urge you to have your roofing inspected by a professional. A question that almost always comes up when damage is found on a roofing system is, should you replace or fix your roof?

To help you make a more educated decision, we have outlines the basics of roofing replacement:

What is Roof Replacement?

A roof replacement is just what you think it is, it consists of a new roofing system being installed on a home. This includes the removal of the old roofing material and a new protective layer of roofing material added to a home. A replacement differs from a repair in many ways including that your entire roofing system is brand new and is capable of protecting your home as a complete unit, where a repair only focuses on one section of your roof.

Roof Replacement Cost

Roof replacements usually occur every 15-50 years depending on the type of material and installation. The cost of a roof replacement will vary just like the cost of a roof repair. There are two reasons for a roof replacement cost to fluctuate. The factors are the size of your roof and the pitch of your roof. If your roof is steep, the work intensity will increase, which will be taken into account for the overall cost. If your roof is larger, then that means the amount of supplies and labour would increase, once again affecting the overall cost of your replacement.

Do It Yourself or Professional Contractor?

If you choose to hire a roofing contractor to complete your replacement, then they will begin by giving you a quote to complete the project. This quote incorporates the cost of materials needed and the time spent by the crew to complete the job. Once the terms are agreed upon, a date will be set to complete the project. A professional crew can replace the roofing system on an average house in 1-2 days. If you decide that you are going to do it on your own, the cost will be less expensive as you will only be paying for the cost of materials. However, there is also a greater risk of something going wrong and an issue with the installation occurring. It will also take longer to complete your project as you will not have the support and expertise provided by a professional crew.

This was an introduction to roof replacement, understanding the basics, including knowing the signs of a damaged roof, understanding what the replacement entails and how it will be done is important as a homeowner as it gives you insight into when you will need to replace your roofing system.