All roofs eventually wear out. How quickly depends on several factors including: quality of materials, quality of attic & roof ventilation and the climate.

Several factors combine to affect roof deterioration. These may include ultraviolet radiation from the sun, temperature extremes, exposure to wind & rain, and foot traffic on the roof. Darker color shingles may have shorter service life than shingles with a light color.

Splitting and cracking of wood occurs naturally as a part of the aging process, largely due to shrinking and swelling caused by moisture and subsequent drying

Multiple roofing layers tend to decrease a roofs resistant to hail. Make sure to check local building codes, as some building codes and ordinances restrict the number of roofing layers a house may have. Another issue to consider with wood shingles when applying a new roof over the wood shingles is possible fungus problems.

Yes. If damage is minor, a roofing contractor can remove individual shingles and replace them with new shingles.

This depends on several variables – shape, hardness, & density of hail, wind speed, age, and type of roof. In general, pea and marble size hail should not damage composition shingles in good condition, unless extreme winds are present.

Yes. With composition shingles, granular loss is a part of the normal weathering process. Small hail impacting a roof often displaces some of the granules as does rain, wind and foot traffic.

No. The “splatter” marks that you see are normal after a hail storm. Your roof has darkened over time since its installation as a result of algae and oxidation. When the hailstones contact the roof, the algae and oxidation are removed, leaving a light colored mark. In time, these marks will fade as algae grows and oxidation continues on your roof

No. The number, size and hardness of hailstones can vary tremendously within a small locality. Other factors include velocity and direction of the wind, roof pitch, age and condition. Each roof is different.

There are several subjects that you should keep in mind as you begin the process of replacing your roof. Lets take a look. 1. Your roof might have been designed to be a wood shingle roof. 2. In many cases, the eaves of your home do not have adequate positive air intake to provide proper ventilation when a composition roof is installed. 3. By adding 7/16” decking on top of 1”x4” wood lath, this alters the design of the roof and changes the interface of the materials with your existing trim, valleys & dormers. 4. The wood shingle roof had the ability to breath air on its own due to the evaporation of moisture and normal heat convection. Therefore, you most likely did not have any additional ventilation add-ons like powered vents or wind turbines. 5. In some cases, you have vaulted ceilings that are constructed into the roofline and insulation was laid between the 1”x4” lath and the sheetrock without any way for air to circulate and dissipate heat away from the vaulted ceiling areas. There are now available, special channels that can be installed during a re-roofing project that will allow air movement in such vaulted ceilings. 6. We now have some new hi-tech materials to choose from that can save you money with your heating and air conditioning bills. For example, solar shield decking, solar powered temperature sensory exhaust fans along with Energy Star rated roofing products are available. There are also Ridge Vents that provide non-powered attic ventilation. 5 feet of Ridge Vent is equal to 2 wind turbines. 7. Wind turbines and temperature sensing powered exhaust fans are still available. What you must remember is that without some way to move the hot air out of your attic, your new composition, metal or thermoplastic roof will be an oven and your air conditioning bill will reflect a much higher cost than it should. There must be adequate air intake & exhaust to keep attic temperatures down. 8. You may have a closed valley or an open valley. The only problem with a closed valley is the appearance of built up material or “hump” in your roof from the overlap. With a open valley design you eliminate that hump and provide an excellent way to divert water from your roof.