5 Signs That It’s Time to Replace a Flat Roof
Even with proper care and maintenance, your flat roof will eventually need replacing. Most flat roofs last around 20-25 years depending on the materials used, the maintenance and repairs they have received, and the regional climate. An experienced roofing contractor can do an in-home consultation to determine if it would be safer and more cost-effective to invest in a new roof installation. Your alternative is to keep paying for flat roof repairs year after year. Here’s a look at five signs that it’s time to replace your flat roofing:
1. Increased Energy Bills
Your roof provides a strategic barrier between the outside temperature and your home’s interior temperature. If your heating and/or cooling costs have been steadily increasing over the past months or years but your usage hasn’t increased, it could be that your flat roofing isn’t acting as an effective barrier anymore. Installing a new flat roof constructed from high-quality materials like PVC, EPDM, and TPO can significantly increase the energy-efficiency of your home. Your heating and cooling system won’t have to run as long or work as hard to keep your home at a comfortable temperature.
2. Significant, Costly Damage
If your roof has significant damage and repairs would be costly, you should consider roof replacement. Paying for five or six more years of flat roof repairs will end up being even more expensive than just installing new roofing. Plus, new flat roofing is more energy-efficient, safer, and will require less frequent roof maintenance. If your roof has any of these signs of significant damage, you should call a roofing contractor for an evaluation:
- Exterior or interior water damage
- Water pooling on the roof or near your home’s foundation
- More than one roof leak
- Sagging or buckling roof
- Bubbling or blistering on the roof’s surface
- Ripped or torn roof membranes
- Animal nests or droppings
- Severe build up of leaves, twigs, branches, dirt, or other debris
- Harmful biological contaminants like mold, mildew, algae, or moss
- Severe discoloration, fading, and deterioration
- Missing roofing panels or flashing
3. Water Problems
Flat roofing is more susceptible to water pooling, which can eventually cause roof rot, sagging, leaks, and water damage. If you ignore signs of water damage, you’ll eventually have a mold and mildew problem, which can affect your health. Over time, water damage will also affect the structural integrity of your flat roof, and your flat roofing will no longer be safe. If your roof has significant water damage, paying for flat roof repairs might end up being more expensive than installing new flat roofing. Ask a roofing contractor for an expert opinion on the extent of the water damage, and get an estimate for the cost of repairs.
4. Insect or Animal Infestation
Another problem that can lead to costly or irreparable flat roof damage is insect or animal infestation. If you don’t inspect your roof regularly, you might not notice that you have a pest problem until it’s too late. When insects and animals make nests on your roof, they will eventually cause serious problems that affect your health and safety, as well as the structural integrity of your flat roofing system. Insects can bore or chew through wood, flat roof membranes, insulation, and flat roofing panels. Animals will eventually put holes in your flat roof and get into your attic or walls. Eventually, you’ll have electrical issues, holes in your walls and floors, and damaged insulation. Early detection of infestations might save your roof, but if the damage is too extreme you’ll end up needing a new flat roof installation. Ask a roofing contractor for an onsite assessment.
5. Structural Damage
When severe damage goes undetected for long enough, it will eventually affect the structural integrity of your flat roofing system. A roofing contractor can do a full inspection and evaluation of your roof to determine how bad the damage is. Leaks, holes, water and animal damage, blistering and cracking, damaged flashing, pooling water, storm damage, and rips or tears in the roofing membrane can all affect the structural integrity of your roof. Once the structural integrity has been compromised, it’s often safer to invest in a new roof installation.
Get an Expert Opinion From a Roofing Contractor near Baltimore, Maryland
If you’re not sure whether you need repairs or a new flat roof installation near Baltimore, Maryland, call our experts at Harford Roofing & Exteriors. Our roofing contractors have decades of experience in evaluating the condition of flat roofing systems. We can quickly diagnose problems and give you an honest, straightforward answer regarding whether it would be cheaper and safer to invest in flat roof repairs or new roof installation. Call us today at (443) 292-6020 for an onsite assessment, or request a quote online on our website.