Do I Really Need a New Roof Right Now? --- To get a straight answer to this potentially $20,000 question, maybe ask someone who doesn't make money replacing roofs

 

"The conventional wisdom about asphalt-shingle roofs -- that you need to replace yours every 20 to 30 years -- dissolves like a wet conventional Kleenex when you get some facts. Your roof can live happily for 40 years or more, like a snapping turtle, or for as little as one year, like a European stove.

It all depends on where you live, how hot or cold it gets, whether your roof gets shade or full-time sun, the frequency with which it is wracked by hail, gale-force winds, lichen, moss or that fluorescent stuff that accumulates from trees dropping pollen and leaves all over it, as well as the quality and type of the original shingles and installation.

The tough part is finding someone who will tell you the truth. Will the roof live to be 40, or just 1? Does it need simple repairs or a full replacement? If it sprang a leak, like mine did, these are $20,000, or way up, questions.

Sadly, the professionals who most homeowners call -- roofing contractors offering free estimates -- are the same people who sell roof replacements. When you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail. When you're a roofing contractor, every roof looks like it needs to be replaced.

What's a homeowner to do? Here's what we did.

We called a roof inspector, a species of home-maintenance professional relatively unknown to most homeowners. This person has one job: to inspect your roof and write up a report about its condition. They charge from less than $600 to over $1,500 depending on the size of your roof, its pitch, the type of roof materials and your market.

Why would I pay someone when I could get a free estimate? Because, while I trust there are scrupulous roofing contractors out there, I trust the hammer/nail theory more. I want an opinion from someone who doesn't view my roof as a giant blank check. With fluorescent stuff on it.

Still, most homeowners think "free estimate" is a more cost-effective decision than "$600 inspection." Also, roof inspectors aren't generally out there marketing themselves, since many specialize in commercial work. As a result, inspectors say, they don't get many calls from homeowners for residential roofs before they sign that big blank check.

"It's partly because customers don't know a roof inspector is an option," says Will Silver, a certified roof inspector and owner of Peak Contracting in Nyack, N.Y. "And it's partially they're just relying on roofing contractors to evaluate and scope the job for them."

Silver gets why some roofing contractors default to a replacement: It's tough out there.

"You have a lot of overhead," he says of roofers. "Payroll, loans on your vehicles, general liability policies and you sort of have to sell roofs."

Mitch Moutoux, a Haag certified roof inspector and owner of Greenlight Independent Roof Inspection in Louisville, Ky., says that he used to be a salesperson for a roofing contractor.

He recalls being told by his manager at some of his weekly meetings, "You're one of our top salespeople, but you sell more repairs than anyone. I need you to convert those repairs to full roofs" for new sales.

You can find inspectors on the internet, or by going to a certification organization such as the National Roof Certification & Inspection Association or Haag, a forensic engineering and consulting company that offers training and certification for inspectors.

Silver and Moutoux suggest that homeowners work with inspectors who are not affiliated with a roofing contractor, just to remove any bias in their findings.

If you decide to use a roof inspector, remember that certification is not a requirement, but it is a good indication of knowledge and adherence to industry standards. Experience, however, is non-negotiable. Ask for references, and, suggests Silver, have them send you a redacted copy of a prior inspection so you can see what they do. Also, he thinks it makes sense to hire someone who has been a roofing contractor.

"Any good roof inspector is going to have hands-on experience," says Silver. "It's hard to offer advice without having that."

Whether you go with an inspector or a roofing contractor, says Russel Watsky, a roofing consultant in Ossining, N.Y., don't ask for a free estimate. "Pay for an inspection from someone who is going to get up on the roof. Not just fly the drone."

Our inspector showed up and spent over an hour examining our roof and attic, and pronounced that it just needed maintenance. We got an estimate for around $2,500.

I also asked a roofing contractor to take a look. He declared that we "needed" a whole roof replacement to the tune of $18,000. While I don't have the skill or knowledge to know which of these diagnoses is correct, I am banking that the hammer/nail theory is, like relativity, mostly right. We had the roof repaired last week." [1]

1. MANSION --- HomeOwnerous: Ugh. Do I Really Need a New Roof Right Now? --- To get a straight answer to this potentially $20,000 question, maybe ask someone who doesn't make money replacing roofs. Frieswick, Kris.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 31 May 2024: M.8.