Is replacing the roof mandatory before your house hits the market?
By: Dave Lukow
Not necessarily, but, according to a number of industry insiders, there is a specific number of years that the roof will last.
“To pass inspection, a roof needs at least two years of economic life,” said Gary Kenline, senior vice president at Hunt Real Estate ERA. “It depends, though. You might get somebody who worries that it’s only going to last two years. They might not be comfortable with that.”
On the other hand, “It’s not necessary to get a new roof,” added Larry Herlan, of Lawrence Appraisal Services, an Akron firm. “The only time it comes up is when there’s a problem.”
Determining if there’s a problem, especially for the layman, is not always easy.
“There are several factors, among them age, wear and leakage,” said the Stockmohr Company’s Curtis Mohr. “Obviously, curling is an indication, as is a tremendous amount of stone in your gutters.”
As shingles age, the tar strips tend to dry. Curled shingles and missing shingles can be signs you need a new roof, Mohr noted.
Doug Manzella, the owner of HomePro of WNY, an Amherst company specializing in inspections, agreed. “If we’re talking about asphalt shingles, it would be a general look of deterioration,” he said. “The shingles would be cupping and curling, and there would be a dull appearance.”
Surprisingly, a leak doesn’t necessarily indicate that the whole roof needs to be overhauled.
“Leakage itself doesn’t always mean you need a new roof,” Mohr said. “It’s not as simple as that. If you have a leak in a certain area, it doesn’t have to mean the entire roof has to go. It could involve half of your house, or it could mean a quarter.”
The age of a roof becomes particularly relevant when making repairs. “If a roof is 15 to 18 years old, do you really want to do just half a house?” asked Mohr. “There are so many factors that come into play. Repairing an 18-year-old roof is difficult.”
Typically, they last 20 to 25 years, Manzella said. “The sun is the enemy of roof shingles. If the roof slope faces the south, the south side of the roof is more deteriorated than the north side,” he said.
Western New York winters, obviously, also take a toll. “The most common type of roof in this area has a Fiberglas-based asphalt shingle,” said Mohr.
“In the Buffalo area and in the surrounding suburbs, you find very few metal roofs. But as you go south into ski country, you find more metal roofs.”
Metal roofs have a greater chance of withstanding bad weather. “Generally speaking, where you have huge amounts of snow, metal roofs are better,” Mohr said. “The metal is waterproof, whereas shingles are water-resistant.”
While metal roofs provide more protection, “a slate roof can last several hundred years. That’s always been the finest roof,” Manzella said. “For example, look at some of the churches downtown. Their roofs are tremendous.” But prices can be tremendous, too.
“If cost is a factor, you have to rule them (slate roofs) out,” Manzella said. “The second choice would be a metal roof, if you like that look.”
What does it cost to replace a roof? “Generally speaking, if you have shingles that need to be stripped, and you’re going to change everything, it’ll start at $3 per square foot and go up from there. It depends on so many factors,” Mohr explained. “The number of layers involved is very important; you have the labor to tear everything out [plus] the disposal costs.”
Finding the right company is another consideration, but Donna Czora has the names you’ll need. The secretary for the Home Improvement Council of Western New York, Czora is part of a team that brings homeowners and roofing contractors together.
“If somebody called the Home Improvement Council for a roofer, we would send a complete list,” said Czora. “We don’t send the name of just one contractor, all of the companies on our list are equal. They can go to our Web site: ‘www.hicwny.com’ or they can call us.”
All the contractors listed by the Home Improvement Council must adhere to specific requirements. “Not just any contractor can be a member of the Home Improvement Council. They have to have certain credentials,” Czora explained. “If they don’t abide by our standards, they’ll no longer be on the list. But that doesn’t happen very often. If there’s a problem, they usually address it.”
“I would probably request information from the Better Business Bureau or the Western New York Council of Contractors,” advised Manzella, who has been a home inspector for 22 years. “Personal referrals from family and friends who have dealt with roofing companies are also valuable.”
Dave Lukow is a freelance writer from Williamsville, who is also the online news editor for Poker Pro Magazine.
