Should I repair or replace my roof in Minnesota?

Minnesota is hard on roofs. Shingles go through the hottest summers and the coldest winters, expanding and contracting the whole time, plus hail, wind and ice. Think of a roof like a car: every year adds mileage, and a hard winter adds more. The question is whether you have a part that needs fixing or a vehicle that is worn out. This is how we look at it on an inspection, taken from the roofing episode of our Built Better podcast with Chris Rice and Gage Seehafer of GAF.

How old is too old for a roof in Minnesota?

If an asphalt roof has made it to around 20 years without a major hail or wind event, it has done well, and it is time for an inspection no matter how it looks from the driveway. Even on newer homes, an inspection somewhere around year 7 to 10 is a good idea, because storms often pass through while people are away and nobody notices the damage.

What are the signs a roof needs replacing, not repairing?

• Granules in the gutters and downspouts. The granules are the roof's first line of protection. When a lot of them wash down after a heavy rain, the shingles are wearing out.
• Shiny fibers showing. Once the granules and asphalt are gone, the fiberglass mat starts to show. You can often see it from the driveway.
• Cracking and blistering across the roof, not just in one spot.
• Soft decking. If the roof deck has been wet long enough to go soft, it is past a patch, and it is also unsafe to walk on.

When is a repair the right call?

• A few shingles blown off on a roof that is otherwise sound. Done properly, the repair also reseals the shingles around the patch, because a wind event that tears off two shingles usually breaks the seal on the ones next to them.
• A leak at one penetration: a plumbing stack, vent, chimney or skylight. These are where most leaks start.
• Flashing at a wall. Step flashing where the roof meets a vertical wall works like fish scales, each piece overlapping the one below. One piece installed wrong lets water run behind it.
• Exposed nail heads, called shiners, that rust and let water follow the nail down.

Is it really a roof leak?

Not always. A brown stain on a ceiling is often condensation, not a leak. In winter your attic should be close to the outdoor temperature. When warm air from the house gets into a poorly ventilated or under-insulated attic, it condenses on the cold underside of the roof deck, can even form ice there, and drips onto the drywall. We have found homeowners expecting a new roof whose real problem was ventilation and insulation, fixed for a fraction of the cost of a replacement. That is why a proper inspection always includes the attic.

Ice dams are a related warning sign. If melted spots and ice build up at the roof edge every winter, the ventilation and insulation need a look, whether or not you replace the roof.

Can I fix it myself?

We get this question a lot. Pulling a small branch off a roof is fine. For almost everything else we recommend a contractor:

• If your roof has an enhanced manufacturer warranty, doing repairs yourself can void it.
• Replacing a couple of shingles without breaking or creasing the ones around them is harder than it looks, especially in summer when they are sealed down.
• Roof rakes scrape off granules. We have seen "hail damage" that turned out to be the first six feet of a roof raked every winter.
• A skylight leak is not a sealant job. Skylights are a common source of leaks, and the lasting fix is usually replacing the unit with its flashing.

We had hail. Should I file an insurance claim?

Get an inspection first. Weather is uneven, and a neighbor getting a new roof does not mean yours is damaged. We tell more people not to file a claim than to file one. If there is damage, we help you through the insurance process. Be careful with storm chasers: work with a local contractor whose owners you can reach after the job, who has real reviews and manufacturer certification, and who explains the underlayment and ice and water protection they use, not just shingle colors.

If I replace, what should I ask for?

• Impact resistance. Class 3 shingles pass a test with a 1.75-inch ball dropped from 17 feet; Class 4 with a 2-inch ball from 20 feet. Ask your insurance agent whether a Class 4 roof lowers your premium, since the savings can offset the higher upfront cost.
• An enhanced manufacturer warranty from a certified contractor. It covers manufacturer defects over the long term and can be transferred once if you sell, which helps at resale.
• The whole system: underlayment, ice and water protection, flashing, ventilation and insulation, not just new shingles over old problems.
• Algae protection. Dark streaks are algae and are covered by algae-resistant shingle warranties; moss and lichen are not.

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