Roof Repairs or Replacement in Edmonton: What Saves You Money?
All right, so we’re back with Alberta Skylights Elite Roofing with Ryan.
Hey Trevor, how are you doing?
Doing great, man. Doing great. So today, the hot topic is roof repairs versus replacement. What’s more cost effective in Edmonton? So you’ve been in roofing for a number of years, number of decades. You are a Red Seal roofer.
1999 I started roofing, actually. 1999. Holy crap.
Turn of the century. Twenty six years you’ve been a roofer and been in the roofing industry. So your company does mainly skylights and roofing.
Skylights and steep slope roofing. Yep.
There you go. So all the fun stuff that Edmonton homeowners have to deal with regarding roofs. So today, okay, when is it time to repair them? When is it time to replace them? Hopefully we can get people in the audience to find out what the best thing is for that.
Question number one. Yeah, let’s start with the basic stuff. What are some of the most common roofing issues that you see here in Edmonton?
Common roofing issues that we see here in Edmonton, I guess it would really depend on the context. How old is the roof? Are you talking about a roof that’s reasonably new? What issues are we seeing? Or are you talking about a roof that’s mid term, fifteen years old, and a roof that’s in the late stages that needs to be replaced?
New roofing issues that we would commonly see are people not nailing their shingles down properly. They want to flap in the wind. People didn’t install them correctly, so you’re ending up with leaks, things of that nature.
Common Roofing Problems Homeowners Face
A lot of times we’ll see whenever people get their roof replaced, they will not replace their skylights with it. When you don’t replace your skylights with your brand new roof, now you’ve got a twenty five or thirty year old skylight on a brand new roof system. All of a sudden, that doesn’t work very well anymore.
The skylight that was fine beforehand is all of a sudden giving grief. Of course, the roofers always say, “Oh well, skylights always leak.” Well, the problem is that skylight was sealed and working properly. You came, you took all the shingles apart, you were jostling, you were moving, you wrecked the seals, and all of a sudden that becomes a problem.
That’s a pretty common one for us, especially being that we focus on skylights. When we’re there doing the skylight, we also like to take a look at the rest of the roof.
Other common issues we see on new installs are shingles not lined up properly. The guys don’t have proper course alignment. A lot of times we’ll see whenever they put vents in, they use nails on the bottom of the vents. They don’t use cladding screws. They use roofing cement rather than silicone to seal those off. Roofing cement is not UV solid, so it’ll degrade over time.
So those are some things we see in the new applications.
If you move into roofs that are twelve to fourteen years old, you have to keep in mind shingle technology has come a long way. It used to be a fifteen year old roof was pretty much garbage. You’d be lucky to get twenty two years out of it.
With the new fiberglass shingles that really took over between about 2007 and 2012, we see a lot of roofs that are fifteen to eighteen years old still in really good shape. What we see on those ones is the sealing strip has started to fail.
The sealing strip is a layer of adhesive that goes between the shingles. It melts them together and gives them a lot of their wind resistance. When that sealing strip starts to let go, maybe fifteen years in, all of a sudden your shingles start flapping in the wind and become more prone to blow off.
How We Inspect and Evaluate Roof Condition
We do have a procedure for that. We can hand seal those shingles back down and get you a lot more life out of them. That’s just a maintenance issue in that case.
Then when you start getting into older roofs, organic roofs that are twenty years old, they’re usually curled up pretty bad. Some of the early fiberglass shingles cracked. You’ll see lots of granular loss in those areas.
Cleaning out your gutters or looking at your downspouts after a good rainstorm and seeing granules on the ground is usually a good sign things are coming due.
But just like anything, you buy a brand new car, you’ve got to get the oil changed. A roof is worth as much as a lot of cars, and people think it’s out of sight, out of mind. That doesn’t always turn out so well.
Until you see the stain in your ceiling, right? You wouldn’t wait until you see a giant slick on the driveway before doing something about your oil. Roofs are maintenance items.
So how can a homeowner tell if the roof needs a repair or if they should go with a full replacement?
If you’re losing a lot of shingles regularly, that’s a good indicator you’re going to need replacement. If your roof has more granules on the ground and in the gutters than on the roof, that’s another sign.
A lot of times a roof can be repaired and prolonged for quite a while. I’ve seen some pretty rough looking roofs still keeping water out. How far you want to push it is up to you.
The simple answer is if you’re concerned, give someone a call. Give us a call. We’ll come take a look and let you know what’s what.
So in your experience, what factors usually tip the scale toward replacement?
If you’re getting a lot of leaks or significant portions of the roof are giving grief, that’s a big factor. We look at the roof as a whole.
If you’ve got a giant roof and a small section is shot because of poor drainage or downspouts, that can be a repair. Same with valleys that weren’t flashed properly.
But when your roof has three to seven years of life left and needs significant repairs, it may be time to replace it. My high pressure sales tactic is this. Your roof will never be this inexpensive again. If you plan on being in your home long term, putting a fifty year shingle on makes sense.
So what is your process for evaluating a roof?
First, I walk around from the ground to get a lay of the land. I’m looking for damaged eavestroughs, shingles on the ground, nails backing out, fish mouths in shingles.
Then I check underlay, drip edge, flashing. These don’t determine longevity, but they tell me how the roof was installed. Cutting corners usually shows up.
When Replacement Makes More Sense Than Repair
Once on the roof, I look for granule loss, valley damage, downspout washouts. I test the seal between shingles by pulling them apart. You can feel how old a roof is. Crunchy roofs are on their way out.
I also assess ventilation, ice dam damage, rust on nails, vent condition, and hail damage. The roof tells us a lot if you know what to look for.
Given Alberta weather, what materials work best?
That’s a loaded question. In Edmonton, asphalt shingles still offer the best value. There are better products, but they cost more and have fewer installers.
Asphalt looks good, performs well, and is widely supported. I also like the Gem Euroshield product, especially for hail prone areas. It’s made in Alberta from recycled tires and is very hail resistant.
Metal roofing exists, but it’s not my favorite. Asphalt remains the best value.
After heavy snow or rain, what should homeowners watch for?
Ice buildup, especially after a recent roof install, can indicate ventilation problems. Ice dams cause interior damage and stress eavestroughs.
After storms, watch for shingles in the yard and excessive granules. New roofs will shed granules in the first year. Older roofs should not.
How does insurance factor in?
Insurance usually applies for hail, wind blowoffs, or fire. Ice dams are maintenance issues. Insurance may cover interior damage but not the root cause.
We’re also seeing insurance companies requiring roof or skylight replacement based on age, even if the roof is still in good shape. Actual cash value policies are becoming more common.
How does insulation factor in?
Insulation and ventilation work together. Poor insulation leads to excess attic heat, which degrades shingles. Ventilation should match insulation levels.
We use GAF reports to assess ventilation specs. Ice damming usually means heat loss. I’d rather keep heat in the house than add vents endlessly.
If someone is selling their home, should they replace the roof?
Absolutely. You’re paying for it either way. My preferred method is to create a roofing package where the buyer selects the color, the roof is installed at closing, and the warranty is registered to them.
It protects the seller’s value and benefits the buyer.
We also offer financing with deferred payments, so sellers don’t need to front the cost.
If someone is on the fence, what’s your advice?
Get an inspection. Pay the inspection fee, get a written report, and make an informed decision. Maintenance and repairs are usually reasonable.
We’re not doing heart surgery. We’re maintaining a roof.
Thanks so much, Ryan.
Yeah. Just hit us up on our website, give us a call, or drop us an email. Love to hear from you.
Thank you.