Signs You Need a New Roof in Michigan

Michigan is hard on a roof. Freeze and thaw, heavy snow, summer heat in the attic, wind off the lakes. A roof can look fine from the street and still be on its last legs, and by the time the ceiling stains show up, the damage is already inside the house. Here are the signs we look for when a homeowner in Redford, Livonia or Dearborn Heights asks us whether it's time.

Curling and cupping shingles

Healthy shingles lie flat. When the edges turn up (cupping) or the tabs bow upward in the middle (curling), the shingle has lost its shape. Age, heat and poor attic ventilation all cause it. Curled shingles don't seal well, wind catches them, and water can get under them. A few curled shingles on one slope might be a repair. A whole slope that's curling is telling you the roof is reaching the end of its life.

Granule loss

The gritty surface on asphalt shingles is made of small ceramic granules that shield the shingle from sun. When the roof ages, those granules shake loose and wash into the gutters. Look at the bottoms of your downspouts and at your gutters. If you find a lot of what looks like coarse sand or pepper, and if the roof shows bald, dark patches where the surface has worn through, the shingles are losing their protection.

Soft or spongy decking

This one is serious. If you walk the attic and the underside of the roof deck looks dark, stained or damp, or if a section of the roof feels spongy or sags when someone goes up there to look, the wood is likely rotted. Soft decking is one of the clearest signs that a repair won't hold. New shingles can't fix wood that won't hold a nail.

Leaks that keep coming back

One leak after a freak storm is one thing. A leak that returns after you've patched it is another. Repeated repairs in different spots mean water is getting in through a roof that's failing more broadly. Watch for ceiling stains, peeling paint near the top of walls, and musty smells upstairs. Each patch costs something, and at some point the patches add up to more than a proper fix.

Daylight in the attic and trouble at the chimney

Go up into the attic on a bright day and turn off the light. If you can see daylight coming through the roof boards, that's a gap water can use too. While you're up there, check around the chimney. Brick chimneys are a common leak spot in the older homes around Detroit and Royal Oak. The flashing, the metal that seals where the roof meets the brick, can pull away or corrode, and the mortar joints can crack. In a tear-off, we often find the bare deck around a chimney has seen years of slow water damage.

Chimney flashing alone can sometimes be repaired. If the roof around it is also worn, it makes more sense to deal with it all at once.

A quick ground check you can do

• Stand back and look for shingles that are lifted, missing, cracked or discolored.
• Look for dips or sagging along the ridge or between rafters.
• Check the gutters and downspout bottoms for shingle grit.
• Look for moss or dark streaks, especially on shaded slopes, since trapped moisture shortens a shingle's life.
• Check the ceilings and upper walls for stains after rain or snowmelt.

Repair or replace: our rule

Here's the plain version we use at the kitchen table. Repair when the damage is limited to one area and the decking is sound. Replace when the damage is widespread, the decking is soft, or the repairs keep coming back. That's it. We would rather tell you a repair will do the job than sell you a roof you don't need, and we'd rather tell you the truth when a patch is just delaying the inevitable.

Timing matters too. Late spring through fall is the best time to install, and on suitable days we can also work in winter following the manufacturer's cold-weather instructions. If you suspect trouble, don't wait for a ceiling to fail.

T&M Roofing offers free roof inspections and free written estimates. Call (313) 600-4538, Monday through Saturday, and we'll tell you honestly what your roof needs. We serve Detroit and the communities within about 60 miles, including the Grosse Pointes, Dearborn, Livonia and beyond.