Everything we have on roofing — what fails, why, what it costs, and which of it you can handle without calling anyone.

Homes built before about 1940

Pre-war construction — galvanized supply, cast iron drains, cloth-wrapped wiring, ungrounded circuits.

• Two or three layers of shingle already on the roof
• Plank decking with gaps between the boards
• Rust streaks below the chimney flashing
• Wood shingle under the asphalt
• No ridge vent and no soffit intake
• Valley metal rusted or missing
• Masonry chimney needs work
• Sagging visible along the ridge line
• Roof over an addition with a different pitch

Homes built roughly 1940 to 1980

Post-war and mid-century — copper supply, aging cast iron stacks, 60 to 100 amp panels, first-generation central air.

• Cracked rubber boot around a plumbing vent
• Three-tab shingles curling at the edges
• Turbine vents but no intake at the soffit
• Prior storm damage that was never claimed
• Step flashing at a wall intersection
• Granules collecting in the gutters
• Nail heads visible through the shingle surface
• Ice damage from a hard winter storm
• Satellite dish or old antenna mount still up there

Homes built roughly 1980 to 2000

The polybutylene and aluminum-wiring window, 150 amp panels, R-22 systems and first-cycle architectural shingle.

• Architectural shingles past their rated life
• Shingles lifting along one slope after wind
• Bruising you can feel but barely see
• Skylight leaking at the head
• Attic feels well over outdoor temperature in summer
• Damage that might be under the deductible
• Pipe boots aging on a mid-life roof
• Moss or dark streaking on north-facing slopes
• Different shingle color in patches

Homes built since 2000

PEX on slab, 200 amp service, builder-grade equipment that reaches end of life across a whole street at once.

• Roof still under the manufacturer warranty
• Impact-resistant shingle and the insurance discount
• Hail damage on a roof under fifteen years old
• Builder-grade shingle on a whole subdivision
• Improper nailing from the original install
• Ridge vent installed but soffit baffles missing
• Storm chaser knocking after a hail event
• Gutters dented but the roof reads clean
• Flashing at a wall or dormer on a newer build

Any age of home

• Living in the highest-frequency hail corridor in the state
• Straight-line wind damage mistaken for hail
• Tree limbs over the roof
• Persistent damp and organic growth on shaded slopes
• Sustained wind rather than gusts
• UV exposure on unshaded roofs

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Written by Jaylan Jones. I Like To Exterior Services earns a referral fee when a call connects to a contractor. See our business-model disclosure.