Trusted & Reliable Maryland Residential & Commercial Roofing Services
Your home is one of your most valuable assets. Your roof protects your family, belongings, and your home from inclement weather. Without a properly functioning roof, your home is vulnerable to elements: rain, hail, snow, wind, tornadoes. Every day your roof works to protect your home from these elements, including providing shade during the summer months!
Over time, this prolonged exposure to Mother Nature can take its toll on your roof causing it to wear down. While violent storms can cause immediate damage to your roofing system, natural wear and tear to your roof is a part of home-ownership. It is important to maintain your roof as small repairs are necessary, as your roof is only as strong as its weakest link, or shingle. A single gap can cause your roof to leak, and what starts as a small leak, can quickly exacerbate into a significant repair or require replacement if not quickly taken care of.
Reasons You May Need a New Roof
Storm Damage From Hail or Wind
Modern roofs are designed to hold up to the elements. However, even the strongest metal or asphalt shingle roofs can begin to fail when faced with 2 inch hail, or 80MPH wind gusts! These types of “acts of god” can damage your home’s entire exterior: your windows, gutters, siding, doors, and roof. Depending on the size of the hail, it can penetrate your roof decking as well, causing catastrophic roof failure.
Storm damage to your roof can result in broken, missing, curling, lifted or bruised shingles. Wind damage can be difficult to detect to the untrained eye, but can drastically impact your home’s roofing system. Hail can negatively impact a roof even more so than wind. Depending on the size and texture of a hail stone, when it strikes into your roof, it can dislodge the granules on your asphalt shingle exposing the fiberglass. When the shingle is directly exposed to the sun’s UV rays and future wind/rain, it breaks down the shingle, and allows for leaks to develop.
For this reason, it is highly recommended to have a professional roof inspection conducted after a significant storm. In many cases, your homeowner’s insurance can cover all repair & replacement costs to your roof & home’s exterior as it is classified as an “Act of God”. However, most carriers have a time statute of how long after your home is impacted that you can file.
Not all hail and wind damage leads to immediate leaks. It can take several weeks, months or even years to fully develop. Not all storm damage is easily visible from the ground, or to an untrained eye either. It can take a storm damage professional to know what to look for. The longer a storm damage roof is left to wear down and worsen, the more costly repairs can become (or even requiring full replacement).
An Aging Roof
Outside of storm damage, an aging roof is the most common reason that most homeowners need to have their roof replaced. Most shingle roofs have a useful life-cycle of 15 to 25 years. Over the years, your roof is exposed to 100’s of storms, slowly wearing your roof down. As your roof ages, you may notice leaks starting to develop, and water-spots appearing on your ceiling. Your roof’s flashing and shingles may be slowly deteriorating.
Whether you have the original roof on your 20-year old home and know it’s time to have it replaced, or recently bought a home with an older roof, we can help you with a free roof examination to assess the condition it is in.
Improperly Installed Roof
Not all contractors and roofers are equally skilled when it comes to their craftsmanship. Unfortunately, this can result in improperly installed roofs for homeowners that hire roofers who cut corners. An improperly installed shingle or metal roof can result in roof failure in the matter of only a few short years! This can stem from shoddy materials, or poor workmanship. However, this can translate into a roof leaking in 5-years instead of 20 years. If a roof is entirely installed incorrectly, roof repairs may not be an option. In that case, a full replacement may be required in order to tear off the old roof, and re-roof with better materials and a roof that is installed to proper manufacturer code and specifications.
Increasing Appraisal Value of Home Before Selling
Are you selling your home? Are you looking to increase the appraisal value or curb appeal of your home before selling? Or, perhaps you recently purchased a new home, and replacement of the roof was contingent on the sale. We can help you replace your older roof, before or after a real estate transaction.
A new roof can significantly increase the market value of your home, just as a broken or worn down roof can detract from your home’s value.
