How do I know if I need a new roof?
You need one when several signs appear together: an age past 20 years, granules filling the gutters, curling or cupped shingles across a whole plane, brittle tabs that crack when lifted, daylight or damp sheathing in the attic. One sign is a repair. Three or more is a replacement, at $600 to $900 per square.
The signs, roughly in the order they appear
An asphalt roof does not fail suddenly. It ages along a curve that is nearly flat for fifteen years and then turns sharply, and these are the markers along it. Any one of them on its own is a repair conversation. Three or more, on a roof past its second decade, is a replacement conversation.
- Granules in the gutters and at the downspout splash block. The granule layer is the shingle sun protection. Once it goes, the asphalt underneath oxidises fast. A handful after a new roof is normal; a steady accumulation on a fifteen-year-old roof is the clock starting.
- Curling, cupping or clawing at the tab edges. Visible from the ground with binoculars. It means the mat has dried and is shrinking, and a shingle that has curled will not seal down again.
- Bald patches and dark streaks where granules have gone. Distinguish from algae staining, which is cosmetic and black, from granule loss, which shows the darker asphalt beneath and is not.
- Shingles that crack when lifted. The test a roofer does by hand. A supple roof can be repaired; a brittle one cracks three more shingles for every one that is fixed.
- Broken sealant bonds across a plane. Shingles no longer stuck to the course below. Usually invisible from the ground, and it is what causes shingles to leave in the next ordinary wind.
- Sagging between the rafters, a wavy roof line, or a soft spot underfoot. That is the deck, not the shingle, and it means water has been getting in for a long time.
- Inside the attic: daylight at the ridge or at a penetration, damp or matted insulation, dark staining on the underside of the sheathing, rusty nail shanks. The attic tells the truth faster than the roof surface does.
How long before a roof needs to be replaced
Age alone is not a verdict, but it changes what the other signs mean. A three-tab roof in Maryland is generally 15 to 20 years. An architectural laminated roof is 25 to 30. Both run at the short end of that on a south or west-facing plane, on a poorly ventilated attic that cooks the shingle from below, and on any roof that was installed over an existing layer.
Two practical timing points. First, insurers in this market increasingly treat roofs past 20 years differently — some move to actual cash value settlement, some decline to write the policy at all, and a roof that would have been replaced under a claim at year 18 can become entirely your problem at year 22. Second, the cheapest moment to replace a roof is while the deck underneath it is still dry, because rotten sheathing is a per-sheet cost on top of everything else.
The expensive version of this decision is not replacing too early. It is waiting until the deck is wet, the insurer has re-rated the policy, and the job that would have been a roof is now a roof plus decking plus a ceiling.
How long can a roof go without shingles?
A common question after a storm, and the honest answer is days rather than weeks. Underlayment — synthetic or felt — is a water-resistant secondary barrier, not a roof covering. It is designed to keep weather out for the short period during construction when the deck is exposed, and manufacturers typically rate synthetic underlayment for a matter of months of UV exposure at most, felt for far less. In practice, a plane stripped by wind should be covered within days, and it should be tarped the same day if rain is forecast.
What actually gets damaged in the meantime is the deck. Sheathing that gets wet repeatedly delaminates and stops holding a nail, and once the insulation below is soaked it stops insulating and starts growing things. That is why emergency tarping exists as a separate service — it is not about the shingles, it is about protecting the structure so that the eventual replacement is only a replacement.
It may be true. It is also the opening line of the storm-chasing script, and the tell is what comes next: pressure to sign something today, an offer to handle your claim for you, or a suggestion about your deductible. A contractor who has found real damage is happy for you to get a second opinion, because real damage is still there tomorrow.
Ask instead: Can you photograph what you saw and email it to me, and can I have your MHIC number?Paying, waiving, rebating or absorbing a homeowner deductible is illegal in Maryland, and an offer to do it is an offer to commit insurance fraud in your name on your policy. On an approved claim your deductible is typically your out-of-pocket cost, and any contractor who says otherwise has told you what they are.
Ask instead: Nothing. That is the end of the conversation.Questions about needing a new roof
How long before a roof needs to be replaced?
A three-tab asphalt roof in Maryland generally runs 15 to 20 years and an architectural laminated roof 25 to 30. Those numbers shorten on south and west-facing planes, on roofs over poorly ventilated attics, and on any roof installed over an existing layer, because the trapped heat ages the mat from below. They lengthen on a well-ventilated attic with good intake at the soffits. Age on its own is not a verdict; age plus two or three physical signs is.
How long can a roof go without shingles?
Days, not weeks. Underlayment is a secondary water barrier meant to protect the deck during construction, not a roof covering: synthetic underlayment is typically rated for a limited period of UV exposure and felt for considerably less. An exposed plane should be tarped the same day if rain is forecast and covered properly within days. What is being protected is the sheathing, because repeatedly wet sheathing delaminates and stops holding a nail, and then the job is a roof plus a deck.
Is it better to repair or replace a roof?
Repair when the damage is countable and localised, the roof is well inside its service life, the shingle can still be matched, and the surrounding shingles are supple enough to lift without cracking. Replace when damage appears on several planes, when the field has lost its seal generally rather than in spots, when the shingle is discontinued so any repair is permanently visible, or when the roof is old enough that money spent on it extends something already nearly finished. United Developers does full replacements; where a repair is genuinely the right answer we will say so.
Can I tell if I need a new roof without going up there?
Mostly, yes, and you should not go up there. Look from the ground with binoculars for curling, missing tabs, bald patches and a wavy roof line. Check the gutters and the splash blocks for granule accumulation. Then go into the attic on a bright day with a torch and look for daylight, damp insulation, dark staining on the sheathing and rusty nails. Those three checks tell you nearly everything that matters, and none of them requires a ladder.
Does a new roof need a permit in Maryland?
Yes in most Maryland jurisdictions, and it is a county-level requirement rather than a state one. A permit means a third-party inspection at the points that matter, which is exactly why it is worth having and exactly why a bid that skips it looks cheaper. The permit fee is a published line on our estimates rather than something rolled into a total, so you can see it.
Will insurance pay for a roof that is simply old?
No. Homeowner policies cover sudden accidental physical loss, and they exclude deterioration, wear and deferred maintenance. Age is the definition of wear. What insurance covers is damage from a specific event on a specific date — hail, high wind, a fallen limb — and the age of the roof then affects how it is settled rather than whether it is covered. That is the difference between replacement cost and actual cash value, and it is worth knowing which one your policy carries before you need it.
Where to go next
If the answer is yes, these are the pages that cover what it costs and what should be in it.
The signs a roof is at the end of its life
Granule loss, curling, sealant failure and a soft deck: what each one means and how long you have left.
Read the standard →TimingWhy replace a 20-year-old roof that looks fine
The asphalt failure curve, what insurers do with roof age, and why year 20 is the cheapest moment to act.
Read the standard →ScopeWhat is included in a roof replacement
The line-item scope, the average cost per square, and what a cost calculator cannot see.
See the numbers →ToolInstant roof quote
A real number off your own roof measurement in about a minute, from the same price book this page quotes.
Get the number →