Why we are an unusual source for this answer
Most contractors who inspect your roof sell both repairs and replacements, which means the person diagnosing the problem is also quoting the fix. We do full roof replacements. We do not sell roof repairs. That removes the incentive in one direction and leaves an obvious one in the other, so here is how we handle it: if your roof should be repaired rather than replaced, we write that down, hand you the photo report, and we do not take the work.
That is a real position, not a sales line, and it is the reason a repair-or-replace verdict from us is worth something. Emergency tarping is a separate thing: it is mitigation to stop water entering while a decision is made, not a repair.
The three questions that actually settle it
How old is it. An architectural asphalt roof in this climate generally has a useful life measured in decades, and the last third of that life is when failures start arriving together rather than one at a time. A repair on a roof in its final years buys you a season and is spent again shortly afterwards.
How many places is it failing. One flashing detail at one chimney is a repair. Leaks at a chimney, a valley and a pipe boot at the same time are not three problems — they are one roof reaching the end of its service life in three places at once.
Can the shingle be matched. Shingle lines are retired constantly and colours drift between production runs. If the exact shingle is discontinued, a repair will be visible from the street forever, and on an insurance claim a non-matching patch is often the argument for replacing the whole slope.
What is usually a repair
A handful of shingles lost in one storm on an otherwise sound roof. A single pipe boot that has cracked — the most common leak on any roof and one of the cheapest to fix. One section of step flashing at a wall junction. A ridge vent that was fastened badly. Any of these on a roof with plenty of life left is a contained job rather than a replacement, and we will say so.
What is usually a replacement
Widespread granule loss with the mat showing through. Shingles that curl or cup across whole slopes, which is the mat failing rather than the surface. Multiple active leaks in different areas. Decking that is soft underfoot. Any roof where the shingle cannot be matched and more than a small patch is needed.
Sagging between the rafters is its own category — that is structural, it is not fixed by a new roof covering alone, and it wants looking at sooner rather than later.
How to get an answer you can trust
Get it inspected and get the verdict in writing with photographs attached, so you can see what the person on your roof saw. Ask directly whether the shingle can be matched, and ask what the decking looked like. A contractor who has actually walked it can answer both.
Our inspection is free across Maryland and Northern Virginia, typically within twenty four hours, and the photo report is yours to keep whether you hire us, hire somebody else, or do nothing at all.
Get it looked at, free
We inspect across Maryland — Montgomery, Prince George's, Howard, Anne Arundel, Frederick, Carroll and Baltimore counties. Free inspection, photo report within 24 hours, and the report is yours to keep whether or not you hire us.