Nobody wants to invest in a roof replacement project any sooner than necessary. At the same time, you don't want to put roofing replacement work off so long that it risks damaging your house. You need to know when the job is necessary, and here's how you can tell.

Age of the Roofing Materials

Different kinds of materials will age differently. However, the most common materials are asphalt shingles. Those usually provide a couple of decades of service. You can often get away with layering more shingles on them, but after a couple of additional layers, the weight of the materials could damage the roof. That is particularly true in regions that get heavy snow or ice storms.

A contractor can tell you what the materials are on your home's roof. They can then assess whether age alone is a sufficient reason for a replacement project.

Leaks

Some roofs will fail sooner than their age would suggest. Leaks happen because of severe storms, poor installation practices, animal or bug infestations, or rotten luck. Oftentimes, a contractor can patch the leak so you can get some more years out of the roof. However, a severe leak could signal that it's time to replace the roof. Likewise, if the roof is coming up to the age that it'd need a replacement, you might want to commit to doing it now to avoid the additional bother down the road.

Sagging

This is one of the more worrisome signs that a roofing replacement is in your home's near future. If the roof sags, there's something wrong with the decking. Your roof's decking is the plywood that holds the materials. It will only sag if enough water has penetrated it that it's now soft and can't resist the pull of gravity. Consequently, the roof sags. If the roof is sagging, there are no options besides replacement because you can't trust the underlying plywood to do its job.

Granules Falling Off

Asphalt shingles have granules that stick to the asphalt-coated surface of the shingles. These granules provide additional structure and durability. However, excess exposure to high winds or UV rays can cause the granules to separate from the asphalt coating. Once this happens, the granules will fall off the house.

Once more, the age and number of layers of shingles on the roof both matter. An older roof with several layers is a candidate for replacement. However, even a single and relatively new layer may be too compromised for re-roofing. For more information on a roof replacement, contact a professional near you.