Choosing and Living With a Roof
Lesson 20. Repair or Replace
At a Glance
- Cost per year of life is the only comparison that means anything
- Under ten years old, repair almost always wins
- Over twenty with repeat leaks, replace
- Matching shingles on an old roof is close to impossible
The Arithmetic
Take the cost of the repair and divide it by the years it realistically buys. Then take the cost of a replacement and divide it by the years that buys. Compare.
A repair that buys three years on a roof near the end is rarely the better number. A repair that buys twelve years on a sound roof almost always is.
Clear Answers
| Situation | Answer |
|---|---|
| Under 10 years old, one leak | Repair. It is young and something specific failed |
| 10 to 18 years, one leak, sound elsewhere | Repair, and start planning |
| Over 20 years, second or third leak | Replace |
| Any age, widespread hail damage | Replace, and it may be a claim |
| Any age, sagging ridge or soft decking | Replace, and the structure gets looked at first |
| Selling within a year | Depends on the market. Ask your agent, not your roofer |
The Matching Problem
Shingle colors are discontinued and every roof fades. A repair patch on a fifteen year old roof will be visible, sometimes very visible.
On a back slope nobody sees, that does not matter. On the front of the house facing the street, it might matter to you a great deal, and it is worth deciding that before the work rather than after.
When a Repair Is Right Anyway
Sometimes the answer is to patch a roof that should be replaced. You are selling next spring. Money is tight this year. You want to get through one more winter and do it properly in May.
All of those are legitimate. The point is to choose it with the arithmetic in front of you, rather than to be sold it.