Signs You Need a New Roof — Not Just a Repair

When a roof starts leaking or losing shingles, most homeowners hope a repair will do. Sometimes it will. But on an asphalt roof near the end of its life, repairs only buy time, and the bills add up. Here are the signs you need a new roof, not another repair.

1. Signs the roof itself is failing

• Curling, cracked or missing shingles. Once asphalt shingles start to curl or crack, patching them rarely lasts.
• Granules in the eavestroughs. The granules protect the shingles. When they wash off, the shingles break down quickly.
• Sagging or soft spots. These usually mean water has reached the roof deck, and that needs more than a patch.
• Leaks in more than one place. When leaks keep showing up in new spots, the whole roof is wearing out, not just one area.

2. How old is your roof?

Asphalt shingles are often sold with 25 to 30 year warranties, but in Ontario we typically see them last 9 to 13 years. Freeze-thaw cycles, ice dams, wind and summer heat all wear them down. Once an asphalt roof reaches that age, repairs tend to come more often and last less time.

A metal roof is built to last decades longer. Here’s how long a metal roof lasts in Southern Ontario.

3. What an asphalt warranty actually covers

Many homeowners are surprised by how little an asphalt warranty covers:

• Most are prorated, so coverage drops after the first few years
• Labour is rarely covered
• Installation errors, poor ventilation and weather damage are often excluded

So when an asphalt roof wears out early, the cost of replacing it usually falls on you. Here’s how metal roof warranties compare.

4. When repairs stop making sense

Repairs make sense for a roof with years left in it. They stop making sense when:

• You’re paying for repairs every year
• Water is reaching ceilings, walls or insulation
• The roof is already near the end of its life

At that point, the money going into repairs is better spent on a new roof built to last.

5. If you replace it, consider metal

Every metal roof we install goes directly on the roof deck, with panels that lock together on all four sides and fasteners hidden underneath. There’s nothing to curl, crack or lose granules, and no exposed screws to loosen over time.

If the deck is sound, a metal roof can often go right over one or two layers of existing shingles, which saves the cost and mess of a tear-off. Here’s how a metal roof over shingles works. If there are soft spots, the crew replaces the damaged plywood in that area and makes sure the roof is level before the metal goes on. When a roof comes off down to the deck, we cover the entire deck with ice and water protection before the metal goes on.

Wondering about the price? Here’s what a metal roof costs in Southern Ontario.

Not sure whether to repair or replace?

We’ll give you a straight answer. We’ll talk you through the whole picture: your roof’s age, its ventilation and its long-term value, not just the damage you can see.