Life is full of choices: Chocolate or Vanilla; Cash versus credit; Roof replacement vs. repair. Torn between repairing your Arizona or Iron Range home’s existing shingle or metal roof or having it replaced with a metal roof? Consider four important facts.
1. Materials
The roof’s original materials may not have been your choice; you could have inherited a house with … let’s say inexpensive … materials. The ubiquitous, cheap three-tab shingle on your roof spells an original owner with a tight purse and not much foresight.
Even some metal roofs may have been installed with thin metal, aluminum, or poorly finished metal. These roofs are not going to last as long as higher-end metal roofing.
2. Installation
The crew who put down your roof some years ago may have been assembled from a day gang unfamiliar with roofing – much less metal roofing. The installation could have been rushed. Too few nails or fasteners, too many cut corners, and your roof is not worth repairing. Replacement is a better use of your money.
3. Age
A 20-year-old shingle roof or a 40-year-old metal roof is not a candidate for repair. Either one needs to be replaced. Your roof’s age is not simply a count of the calendar, though. Other factors speed up aging:
- Sun exposure
- Prevailing winds
- Maintenance
- Freeze and thaw cycles
- Blunt force impacts
A frank discussion with your nearby roofing contractor is an excellent way to learn the actual age of your home’s roof.
4. Weather
Both northern Minnesota and Arizona face extreme weather, though not the same conditions. The brutal sun that broils Arizonans and destroys their roofs is less of an issue in snowy, cold Minnesota, where freezing temperatures and harsh winters take their own toll on a home’s roof.
Still, whether from sun or cold, your home’s roof could have faced a decade or more of rough weather. If your roof endured wind storms, ice storms, or hail, it might be prematurely aged and past the time when repairs make economic sense. A complete roof replacement in durable, long-lasting metal roofing is a great option.
Consult with your trusted, local metal roofing contractor to determine your roof’s age, condition, and the cost of complete roof replacement versus roof repair. At Vertex Roofing, Inc., we install metal roofing and nothing but metal roofing. We are dedicated to impeccable customer service! Please contact us today if your home is in the Iron Range or Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas.
