Have you had the same roof sitting on the top of your home for more than 25 years now? If so, you should think about replacing it sometime soon.
Generally speaking, most asphalt shingle roofs will last for around 25 years before they need to be replaced. If you push them any further than that without installing a new roof, you could run into a series of roofing issues.
Before diving headfirst into the process, we’ve compiled a few tips that you can use while you’re working your way through roof replacement.
First, Make Sure You Need a New Roof for Your Home
If your home’s roof is literally starting to fall apart on you, replacing it will be a no-brainer. You shouldn’t ever attempt to breathe new life back into a roof well beyond its expiration date.
If you see rot, excessive leaking, or other tell-tale signs of a bad roof, you are likely in for a replacement.
But prior to replacing a roof, you should have a roofing company inspect it to see if it actually needs to be replaced. There are some instances in which you might be able to squeeze a little more life out of a roof that’s still in decent enough shape.
Replacing a roof is often going to be a relatively big expense. So if you can swing it, you should at least try to make repairs to your roof to keep it around a little longer. It’ll give you more time to shop around for a roof that you’ll love.
Search For the Best Roof Replacement Company in Your Area
If there isn’t going to be any bringing your old roof back from the dead, you should proceed with the roof replacement process. But you shouldn’t allow just any old roof replacement company to step in and do the job.
Instead, you should look high and low for the very best roof replacement company in your area. With well over 100,000 roofing companies scattered throughout the country at this time, there are bound to be at least a few good local options for you to choose from.
You should make it your mission to search for a roof replacement company that checks all of these boxes:
- Plenty of experience in the roofing industry
- Lots of different types of roofs for you to pick from
- A solid reputation among homeowners in your community
- Affordable prices on their roofing products and services
- A solid customer service department
You’re going to be making a significant investment in your home when you start the roof replacement process. So you should see to it that you have the right roof replacement company in your corner from the start.
Learn About the Different Types of Roofs You Can Have Installed
For a long time, asphalt shingles roofs were the country’s most popular type of roof. If you drive around in your neighborhood, you’ll likely notice that most people have these kinds of roofs on their homes.
If you would like to go with an asphalt shingle roof for your home, you’re more than welcome to do it. But you should be aware of the fact that there are also tons of other types of roofs that you can go with.
Some other types of roofs that you’ll be able to pick from when you’re in the market for one will be:
- Wood shake roofs
- Tile roofs
- Metal roofs
Each of these types of roofs comes with its own pros and cons. You should find out as much as you can about the various types of roofs to make it easier to choose one over all the rest.
Decide Which Type of Roof Will Work Best for Your Home
In some cases, homeowners will choose the type of roof they want within just minutes. They’ll know that they want, say, an asphalt shingle roof installed on their home.
But in other instances, it won’t be all that easy for you to pick out the type of roof you want. You’ll need to consider a bunch of key factors when you’re installing a new roof.
Take a look at a few of the factors that you should keep in mind as you shop around for a new roof:
- The style of your home
- The climate in your area
- The budget you’ve set aside for a new roof
- The length of time you want your new roof to last for
- The types of roofs that local roof replacement companies offer
This might be the most important of all the different roof replacement tips listed here. You’re going to kick yourself later if you end up picking out the wrong roof for your home.
Find Out How Much a New Roof Will Cost You
As we alluded to earlier, you will have to mentally prepare yourself to spend a nice chunk of change on a new roof for your home. The average roof usually sets homeowners back between $5,000 and $11,000.
But it’s worth noting that the price of your new roof will be based on several different things. Some of these things will include:
- The type of roof you decide to buy
- The size of your home
- The design of your roof
- The slope and pitch of your roof
- The specific materials that will be used to replace your roof
The good news is that you shouldn’t be put in a position where you’ll get caught off-guard by how much a new roof will cost you. You should be able to get a free estimate from a roof replacement upfront to know what installing a new roof will cost you.
You should get your hands on an estimate for a new roof ASAP. It’ll help you decide whether or not now would be a good time to replace your old roof.
Choose the Right Time to Have a New Roof Installed
You can technically replace your home’s roof at any time of the year. A good roof replacement company will be able to rip your old roof off and put a new one in its place during any season.
But some times of the year will be better than others for roof replacement. The spring and fall, in particular, will be ideal times for you to replace your home’s roof.
Why? Well, during these seasons, it’ll be easy for a roof replacement company to work with roofing materials. They’ll be able to put a new roof in place for you in no time without encountering too many obstacles along the way.
That being said, the spring and fall are also typically the busiest times of the year for roof replacement companies. So if you would like to have a roof installed during one of these times, it would be a good idea to plan ahead so that you don’t get stuck on a waiting list for a new roof.
Prepare Your Home for the Roof Installation Process
You should have a roof replacement company all picked out when you get to this point in the roof replacement process. You should also know which type of roof you’re going to buy and when you’ll have it installed.
So it’ll be time to get your home ready for the roof installation process! You should have your property prepared for your roof replacement company so that they can get to work as soon as they show up at your home.
There are a series of steps you can take to get your home ready for roof replacement. Here are some of the steps:
- Remove leaves, branches, and other debris away from the perimeter of your home
- Cover up patio furniture and anything else on the exterior of your home that you don’t want to come into contact with roofing materials
- Find a place for your roof replacement company to stick a dumpster for your old roof
- Set up a spot for your roof replacement company to put the materials for your new roof
- Move your vehicles away from your home so that a roof replacement company has plenty of places to park
If you wait until the last minute to do some of these things, it could delay the roof replacement process for you. It could also put some of your personal possessions at risk if you aren’t careful.
Arrange to Stay Someplace Else While Your New Roof Is Being Installed
If you haven’t ever been inside a home while the roof is being replaced, you might be surprised to hear how noisy it can be. A roof replacement company will have to spend hours on end hammering away at your roof while replacing it.
If you’re OK with staying in your home while all of this is going on, you’re welcome to do it. But more often than not, it’s a better idea for people to arrange to go somewhere else while having their roofs replaced.
If you have kids and pets, you should be especially wary about staying in a home during the roof installation process. All of the sounds that come along with roof replacement will inevitably scare them and cause anxiety for everyone.
You’ll be better off leaving your home while your roof is being replaced. It’ll be one less headache that you have to worry about dealing with during the roof replacement process.
Read Up on How to Take Care of Your New Roof
While roofers are up on your roof performing roof replacement, you should take some time to read up on your new roof. Your roof replacement company should provide you with a pamphlet on the type of roof you’re having installed.
The information that your roof replacement company provides will come in handy when you learn how to take care of your new roof. You’ll be able to see the different steps that you’ll have to take overtime to keep your roof in excellent condition.
Most modern-day roofs are straightforward to maintain. But you will want to do things like:
- Remove any debris that falls on top of your roof
- Trim back trees to stop branches, leaves, etc. from landing on your roof
- Inspect the shingles, flashing, etc. on your roof from time to time to see if they need to be replaced
Some roofs call for a little more maintenance than others. But no matter how much maintenance your roof might need, you shouldn’t let it go for years on end without maintaining it.
See to It That a Roof Replacement Company Cleans Up After Themselves
Replacing the roof on a home can be a very messy job. A roof replacement company will have to spend at least a couple of hours ripping an old roof off and throwing it down to the ground before putting a new one in its place.
As a result, you might find that there will be a whole lot of old shingles, nails, flashing, etc., on the ground surrounding your home after the roof replacement process is complete. You should see to it that your roof replacement company cleans all of this up before leaving your property.
The last thing you want is for rusty nails to be all over your backyard. You, your kids, pets, neighbors, and others might get seriously hurt by them.
Fortunately, most good roof replacement companies will make it a point to clean up after themselves at the tail end of a project. But it’s better to be safe than sorry by asking a roof replacement company to look around and clean up anything they may have missed.
Inspect Your New Roof and Sign Off on It
Once a roof replacement company is all done installing a new roof for you, they should ask you to sign off on it. They should give you an opportunity to inspect it as best you can before giving them the OK on it.
If you can do it, you should take full advantage of this opportunity. You can do this by:
- Visually inspecting your roof from the ground
- Climbing up on a ladder to get a better look at your roof
- Walking around on your roof
- Paying close attention to the small details on your roof
You should not sign off on your new roof before you’ve spent some time checking it out. You might be able to spot some problems that a roof replacement company missed. They’ll be able to fix them right up for you on the spot instead of coming back to your home later.
File Away Paperwork From Your Roof Replacement Company
After you’ve signed off on your new roof, your roof replacement company will provide you with a mountain of paperwork. This paperwork will include everything from a receipt for your new roof to information on your roof’s warranty.
It will be extremely important for you to file this paperwork away accordingly. This way, you’ll know how to find it if and when you might need it.
These days, many roof replacement companies offer roof warranties that last for 5, 10, 15, 20, and even 25 years. You should use this to your advantage if you ever have any issues with your roof before the end of your warranty.
You’ll just want to make sure that you have your roofing paperwork handy so that you can show it to a roofing company.
Schedule Regular Roof Inspections From Now On
After spending a lot of time and money replacing the roof on your home, you won’t want to worry about replacing it again anytime soon. But that’s what you might have to do if you don’t work to keep your roof in good condition.
One very easy way to do this is by scheduling regular roof inspections. You should speak with your roofing company about what they would recommend as far as inspections are concerned. But most companies will suggest having a roofing expert come out to your home once every few years for a roof inspection.
A roofing company will evaluate your roof from top to bottom during a roof inspection. They’ll pinpoint any problems that might exist and tell you what you can do to make your roof last longer.
You will need to shell out a little money for a roof inspection. But it’ll be well worth it once you see the peace of mind that it can provide for you.
Plan to Do Routine Roof Repairs to Keep Your Roof in Great Shape
The life expectancy of your new roof should be at least 25 years if you decide to go with an asphalt shingle roof. And you should be able to get even more life out of it than if you go with something like a tile or metal roof.
But here’s the thing: Your roof will only last you that much time if you take good care of it. If you let roof problems linger for longer than they should, you will find yourself replacing your new roof sooner than you might expect.
So if a roofing company tells you that there is an issue with your roof or if you suspect there might be a problem with it, you should deal with it as soon as you can. It’ll ensure that your new roof will last you for a long, long, long time.
In a perfect world, your roof’s warranty will cover the costs associated with roof repairs. But even if it doesn’t, it would still be a great idea to have them done. It’ll be a very smart investment on your part in the long run.
Use Your New Roof as a Selling Feature Down the Line
As of right now, you might not be considering selling your home anytime soon. But at some point in the future, you will want to put it up on the market. And when you do, you should do yourself a favor and use your new roof as a selling feature.
As we’ve mentioned several times now, installing a new roof can be a large expense for homeowners. So if you’ve taken the time and spent the money to install a roof within the last ten years, you should point it out in your home listing. Potential buyers will be thrilled to see that they won’t have to worry about doing roof replacement in the near future.
Selling your house might not be something on your radar right now. But when that time comes, you’ll be happy to have a new roof on your home. It’ll make your home worth so much more than it would be otherwise.
Use These Roof Replacement Tips to Make Getting a New Roof Easier
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Replacing your home’s roof can be an intimidating process. Outside of the fact that you’ll be spending your fair share of money on it, you’ll also need to make sure you have the right roof replacement company on your side and choose the right roof for your home.
Utilize the tips found here to make the roof replacement process a little less stressful. You’ll appreciate how much smoother everything goes when you’re taking the right steps toward installing a new roof.
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