How do I know when we *actually* need to redo roof?

[Petuniajo]

We bought our home two years ago. At that time, the home inspector suggested the roof over our addition looked rough; two layers of shingles, which were getting brittle. We had a roofer come look, and he said we probably had another 2-5 years left before we needed to think about replacing them.

Now that it has been two years, how do we know when we actually need to tear off the old shingles and put on new ones? We don't seem to have any bald spots or anything, but of course we don't want to wait until we spring a leak that causes damage...

[dess1313]

loss of grit
broken or partially missing shingles
bent, lifted, or curled edges
shingle edges don't look like they have "square" corners any more
look for places that have high water flow will be in worst shape.
when walking on it you feed 'soft' or bouncy spots that are not the same as other parts of the roof
if you can lift the bottom edges of shingles up from the ones they are supposed to be glued to - BAD!

When you have water dripping from your ceiling you definitely know its too late
you may actually have drips, it doesn't mean that you are going to see it.  sometimes it can run down insides of walls, or make your attic insulation soggy and mouldy.  you need to also inspect the inside of your attic to see that there is no water damage on the wood on the inside of the roof.
Also 2 layers of shingles is the wrong way to have done it.  it does not offer any better protection than a single layer, and is very heavy and hard on your roof.  the guy who did it last was likely lazy

Really if your shingles are near the end of their life, all it takes is one big storm to lift a few that aren't sticking down well and you have a new water feature in your house which may end up costing more than the shingles

[Dicey]

^^All of this.^^ plus, consider that pricing for roofs varies wildly by season and level of urgency. It might actually pay to plan to replace the roof before it becomes a dire need.

[brotatochip]

For me, I had a few leaks after a cold winter.  Check the decking on your roof from the attic if possible for water stains. 

[Fishindude]

Good description by Dess1313.
Replace it as soon as you can, but if you're in a pinch you can probably do some patching to buy yourself another season or two.

[acroy]

All of the above,
plus check Youtube for videos. I found it very helpful when searching the condition of my asphalt shingle roof. There's some great info out there, such as
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYIDm1s-cQI

[NoVa]

^^All of this.^^ plus, consider that pricing for roofs varies wildly by season and level of urgency. It might actually pay to plan to replace the roof before it becomes a dire need.

What is the correct season to get the best price on a roof? I live in the USA, Virginia, if that is a factor.

jfolsen

[Dicey]

^^All of this.^^ plus, consider that pricing for roofs varies wildly by season and level of urgency. It might actually pay to plan to replace the roof before it becomes a dire need.

What is the correct season to get the best price on a roof? I live in the USA, Virginia, if that is a factor.

jfolsen

It varies, but for certain needing a roof in the dead of winter will cost you out the wazoo. I'd guess early spring or late fall might be best, but it depends on your location. Another option is to be on standby with a reputable roofer. Sometimes jobs fall through and they unexpectedly have work time to fill to keep their crews paid. Ask a few roofing companies.

[Petuniajo]

loss of grit
broken or partially missing shingles
bent, lifted, or curled edges
shingle edges don't look like they have "square" corners any more
look for places that have high water flow will be in worst shape.
when walking on it you feed 'soft' or bouncy spots that are not the same as other parts of the roof
if you can lift the bottom edges of shingles up from the ones they are supposed to be glued to - BAD!

When you have water dripping from your ceiling you definitely know its too late
you may actually have drips, it doesn't mean that you are going to see it.  sometimes it can run down insides of walls, or make your attic insulation soggy and mouldy.  you need to also inspect the inside of your attic to see that there is no water damage on the wood on the inside of the roof.
Also 2 layers of shingles is the wrong way to have done it.  it does not offer any better protection than a single layer, and is very heavy and hard on your roof.  the guy who did it last was likely lazy

Really if your shingles are near the end of their life, all it takes is one big storm to lift a few that aren't sticking down well and you have a new water feature in your house which may end up costing more than the shingles

Very helpful info--thanks (everyone!). I'll have to ask around when the best season to have it done here is. I live in Alabama, so the summer heat is pretty stifling... I would imagine most prefer to do business in late fall or early spring (this is one job we probably won't DIY), but who knows if their preference actually matches with when demand is...

[dess1313]

You want it to be warm at least, the shingles have tar strips that need a little heat to be able to have them lock together when laid.  If its too hot its easy to damage them when walking on them even.  Its not good to do roofs in cold, things dont stick the same way and can let the shingles lift during storms. Urgent i need it done today cases will always be more expensive. 

[Syonyk]

Middle college football season is a good time to be working on roofs.

Cool enough that if you start in the morning it's not brutal, but warm enough for stuff to be workable.

[Petuniajo]

Middle college football season is a good time to be working on roofs.

Cool enough that if you start in the morning it's not brutal, but warm enough for stuff to be workable.

Ha! Speaking our language :)

[BlueMR2]

This is a tough one.  The indicators are matters of degree rather than absolutes.

When I had the house inspection done (7 years ago) he said "you won't have to worry about a roof for awhile even though it's got some curling at the edges".  A year later I thought I had a leak (was actually condensation) and that inspector said it's fine.  Still have the same curls in it now.  Just had vent flashing replaced last year (as it had disintegrated and water was pouring down the sides of the soil pipe everytime it rained), and the curls are the same and the shingles are still flexible (done in 30ish degree weather even!).  There's been gravel runoff since day 1.

I did have a brief panic upon finding a water spot on the ceiling, but there have been no leaks during any of the huge storms we've had (and it appeared sometime during the Winter).  Appears that was actually due to ice dams melting.  Ice dams are another issue of course (I've had multiple experts examine and they all said our insulation was much better than it even needs to be, but it has to do with the temperatures and Sun angles we get on that side of the house, so we're basically screwed unless we go with a metal roof).

[Monkey Uncle]

I would think now would be a good time to re-roof if you're using asphalt shingles.  I haven't priced them, but with the price of oil as low as it is, shingles should be relatively cheap.  Unfortunately I had to have my house re-roofed back when the price of oil was near all-time highs.  Asphalt shingles actually cost us more than a metal roof would have cost.