You are the proud owner of a Cincinnati-area home. You look at your roof and wonder, “When should I replace my roof?” Immediately, other concerns come to mind: whether or not you will replace the replacement, paying for it, how long the job takes, and who will install the roof replacement.
How Often?
Many factors affect how rapidly a residential roof ages. If you moved into an existing home and have no idea how old the roof is, your first, best move is to get a roof inspection.
Sure, a home inspection service probably passed judgment on the roof when you bought your Cincinnati-area house, but a professional roofing contractor can see a lot more.
Shingles, metal, or tile, — no matter the material, all roofs wear out. From sheathing to underlayment to flashing to the top surface, no roof lasts forever. Factors aging your roof include:
- The quality of materials
- How well the installation was performed
- Weather conditions
- Upkeep
A neglected roof installed poorly with inferior materials will not last long. Your move-in roof could already be showing signs of decay, weakness, and vulnerability.
Let a local, helpful roofing contractor perform a detailed inspection and help you plan your roof replacement.
If, on the other hand, you already replaced the roof, chances are good you will not be replacing it anytime soon.
Even the most economical residential roofing material, the three-tab shingle, typically lasts two decades. Metal roofs last upwards of 50 years; tile roofs can last a century.
If you are debating whether or not to replace your roof, talk to your roofing contractor. Your one-time investment could pay off for many, many years to come.
How Much?
Cost of a roof replacement depends on your house, your choice of roofing materials, and your contractor. Let’s look at each aspect.
Your House
- How many stories tall is your home? Roofers have to get the materials up there.
- How much roof do you have? The more square footage to remove and replace, the more you will pay.
- How steep is your roof? Roofers call this pitch, and a steep-slope roof (rising three inches or more per running foot) is hazardous to work on.
- How complicated is your roof? A ranch house has two field surfaces, generally, while a quaint Victorian may have gables and turrets galore.
- Will your entire existing roof need to come off, down to and including the sheathing? The more coming off, the higher the cost.
Roofing Materials
- Costs of shingles are typically lower than costs for metal roofing panels or concrete/ceramic tiles.
- Among shingle lines, architectural and designer series shingles will cost more than the basic three-tab line.
- Self-adhesive water and ice shield (a must for the Cincinnati area) is more than plain underlayment. Underlayment itself is available in natural materials (felt) or more expensive but tougher synthetics.
Your Contractor
- You can select a shady operator with no local, physical address and get a cheap roof, or you can select a local, reliable, trustworthy contractor and pay a little more for a much better roof.
- A good contractor can install an economical roof which serves you better than a bad contractor installing an expensive roof. The contractor and installation quality, not the roofing materials, account for most of the success of roof replacement.
Work with your helpful roofing contractor to establish a price to fit your budget.
How Long?
How long will roof replacement take? You will be amazed. Some Cincinnati homeowners put off this project because they think their driveways will be tied up for weeks. How about a day or two?
It’s true. Most roof replacement projects take a day or two. Factors affecting the time include:
- Extent of replacement work — If full roof and sheathing replacement is needed, expect to add about a day; if the only chore is removal of the previous material before replacement, the job moves fast
- Size of roof — Big roofs take longer than small roofs
- Details — The roof’s complexity, height above ground, and number of penetrations slow down the crew; you want quality, not speed, when installing a roof to protect everything you own
- Materials — Some roofing materials require more care in removal; shingles tend to go down quickly, but high value shingles call for a slower pace, due to material thickness and density
- Weather — Beyond any roofer’s control, weather can prevent work from continuing or delay the start; roofing cannot be done with precipitation, and should not be done immediately following a downpour or snowfall
Titan Siding and Roofing is your Cincinnati-area ally in roof replacement. You don’t need to know how to estimate roof replacement costs. We are the leader in roof replacement! Contact us today to get a fast, accurate, honest estimate on a long-lasting, economical roof.
