how long does a roof last?

[clarabelle]

We have a shingled roof. Last night we had a really bad rain and we had a leak. I am hoping they can just patch it. The house is 8 years old.

 

[Mackey Mouse]

I could be wrong here, but I thought you got at least 15 to 20 years out of a roof..providing it is done right.

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

I always thought the rule was 10 years...

 

[Mackey Mouse]

I just looked this up and came up with this:

The Washington-based Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) says the "typical life of asphalt roofing is anywhere from 20 years to 50 years, depending on the product type." That's somewhat optimistic, according to the Metal Roofing Alliance, which says a metal roof lasts 40 to 60 years while "the average life span of an asphalt roof is 12 to 20 years."

Your shingles might defy predictions one way or the other. (A lot depends on how they were installed, not only on the materials used.) But the upshot, according to ARMA, is that at least 2 million homes every year need a new roof.

I also think climate has a lot to do with the lifespan as well..

 

[lowie]

shingled roofs (as well as others) usually have a 'life span'. in the industry you'll hear of a 15 year shingle, 25 year shingle, 40 year shingle. etc.

ask the roofer who fixes the leak, maybe they can give you an idea.

as long as you haven't had trauma to the roof, like a hurricane for instance, then it should last way longer than 8 years!

 

[golfgal]

My SIL got a leak in her roof after a storm, the roof was less then a year old.

Sometimes the roof was applied incorrectly and only showed up in a bad rain, who knows. If the leak was a result of the storm, your insurance should pay for a new one.

I know that in Minnesota a cedar shake roof will last about 100 years where as in the Seattle area they might last about 20 years. A lot has to do with climate and roofing material.

 

[janette]

You might have damage that you don't know about, we had some shingles blown off and when we had the roofer check it they said there was significant hail damage but the storm that blew the shingles off had no hail so we weren't positive when it happened. Our insurance totaled the roof so we were able to replace it, we spent the extra for 50yr shingles and get 25% off on our insurance so keep that in mind if you end up needing a replacement.

 

[annegal]

Shingles are suppoed to last 15 -20 years...but a hurricane can change that.

My new roof sprang a leak & the roofer inspected it and said the caulking around the roof pipes (these are above each bathroom & kitchen in your roof) was not done correctly.

 

[clarabelle]

Thanks everyone! You are making me feel better!

 

[Dakota_Lynn]

You should check your roof for moss growth. If there is a buildup of moss (or leaves or anything else) it can cause water to be trapped and seep inward.

I just had a new roof put on my house last week. I bought 30 year shingles and the roofer told me they are guaranteed to last that long. My house is 24 years old and hadn't been reshingled since the house was built; so the last roofing job lasted much longer than 8 years! But we did have a few leaks after a particularly bad rainy season and found out it was becuase too much moss had grown up there. We got rid of the moss and the leak went away.