Having roof damage can be frustrating for a homeowner, because of the opportunity for the roof to leak and damage the home. Additionally, it's not always easy to figure out where a leak is coming from or how bad the damage might be. Getting up on the roof can be another problem, especially for homes that are more than one story. But when a homeowner finds roof damage, or a professional inspection of the roof uncovers a problem, the Mount Juliet homeowner will then be faced with whether to repair the damage or replace the roof. There are some specific things to consider when making that determination.

How Bad is the Roof Damage?

For minor areas of damage, it isn't generally realistic to replace the entire roof. But there may be cases where replacement would still make more sense, even if the current level of damage doesn't seem like a big deal. That's why having a professional assess the roof damage is a very important part of deciding what action to take. Something that looks bad may be fixable, and something that doesn't look too serious could really be hiding a very big problem. Homeowners aren't trained to know those things, but a professional can give them an idea of what they're really looking at and what course of action would be best.

Is it Time to Replace the Roof?

In some cases, it may simply be time to replace the roof in order to protect the house. If the roof has several layers of shingles on it, if it's really old and near the end of its useful life, or if there's a lot of damage to a significant portion of it, replacement can definitely be the way to go. Adding another layer of shingles eventually doesn't work well and can mean too much weight on the roof. A really old roof will continue to have frequent problems until it's replaced. With a lot of damage to a roof, repairing it can become very costly and really not work the effort. So there are reasons why replacement would be the best choice.

Would Repairs Be a Better Option?

For some roof issues, repair would be a much better option. This is generally true for roofs that aren't that old, and still have a lot of useful life left in them. It can also be true for roofs that only have one or two layers of shingles, and for those that have a couple small spots of damage instead of a large area of it. Repairs can be easy for roof issues like these, and it's often less costly to repair a roof than replace it, provided that the repairs are generally considered to be minor or moderate. Once major repairs are needed, replacement is typically going to be a better and more realistic choice.

Who Should Do the Work?

Hiring the right company to do the work of roof repair or replacement is a very important part of any roofing project. Some companies will charge much more than others, so getting some estimates is a good idea. Additionally, hiring a professional for anything more than a minor repair is usually the right choice. Working on a roof can be dangerous, and uninformed homeowners can accidentally create new problems while they're trying to fix other ones. Unless a homeowner is familiar with roofing and is taking on a minor issue, it's generally a job that's best left to the professionals.