How do I know if my roof needs to be repaired or replaced?
Repair makes sense when the problem is in one place and the rest of the roof still has years left, such as a few blown-off shingles or a cracked pipe boot. Replacement is usually the better spend once an asphalt roof in North Texas is past about 15 to 20 years, or when curling, cracking and granule loss show up on several slopes. A roof that already has two layers, or that has soft decking underneath, generally has to be torn off.
North Texas heat takes years off a shingle rating
Architectural shingles are sold with 25-year, 30-year and lifetime labels. Those numbers describe the manufacturer's warranty against defects. They say little about how long the roof lasts on a house in Tarrant County.
Here a roof surface can pass 150°F on a summer afternoon, spring brings hail most years, and the occasional hard freeze, like the February 2021 storm, cracks shingles that have already dried out. Around 15 to 20 years is a realistic life for an architectural shingle roof in Dallas-Fort Worth, and older three-tab roofs tend to wear out sooner.
If you do not know how old your roof is, the city's permit records for your address, the inspection report from when you bought the house, or the seller's disclosure will often give you a year.
Damage in one spot is a repair; wear across the roof is a replacement
Good candidates for a repair are specific and local: flashing pulled away from a chimney or wall, a rubber pipe boot cracked by the sun, a few tabs torn off one slope in a windstorm, a nail that has backed out, or a leak traced to one valley.
The signs that point to replacement are spread out. Shingle edges curl or cup, bald patches appear where the granules are gone, cracks show on more than one slope, or leaks turn up in different rooms. A dip running between rafters, or daylight through the decking in the attic, means the structure under the shingles has a problem too.
A rule of thumb some homeowners use: on a roof past 15 years, once repair quotes add up to more than about a quarter to a third of the cost of a new roof, the money usually goes further on the replacement.
New shingles rarely match an older roof
Manufacturers retire colors and change product lines every few years, and a roof that has sat in the Texas sun for a decade has faded from its original shade anyway. A patch on an older roof tends to show from the street.
That matters most when you plan to sell. A buyer's inspector will note a mismatched section, and it can prompt questions about what happened there. If the damage came from a storm, how the patch will match belongs in the conversation with your insurer.
Building code decides some of it for you
Most Dallas-Fort Worth cities build their codes on the International Residential Code, usually with local amendments. It does not allow a new layer of shingles over a roof that already has two, or over one that is water-soaked or deteriorated.
Even where a second layer is allowed, laying it over the first hides the decking, adds weight and holds more heat. Tearing off to the deck lets whoever is doing the work see soft or rotted boards and replace them before the new roof goes on.
Homes built before about 1980 often have plank decking of 1x6 or 1x8 boards in place of plywood or OSB sheets. Gaps and split boards can mean new sheathing goes down over the planks, which is worth asking about before the job starts so it is priced up front.
Related questions
How long does a roof last in Texas?
An architectural asphalt shingle roof in North Texas usually lasts around 15 to 20 years, less if the attic is poorly ventilated or the roof takes hail. Metal and stone coated steel roofs commonly last 40 years or more.
Can a new roof go over my old one?
Sometimes. Code generally allows one overlay on a single existing layer that is in sound condition, and never over two layers or a deteriorated roof. Most manufacturers and many insurers prefer a full tear-off, because it exposes the decking.
Will insurance replace a roof just because it is old?
No. Homeowners insurance covers sudden damage from events like hail and wind. Age and wear are excluded, so an old roof is covered only for the storm damage on it.
