Repair or replace? How to actually tell
This is the most expensive question in roofing, and the person answering it usually profits more from one answer than the other. Here is how to work it out for yourself before anyone gives you a number.
Start with age, not with the damage
Age is the single most useful input. A ten-year-old architectural shingle roof with a leak at the chimney is a repair. A twenty-two-year-old roof with the same leak is usually the beginning of the end, because the rest of the field is close behind.
Most asphalt roofs are specified for 20 to 30 years and reach somewhat less than that in practice, depending on ventilation and sun exposure. If you are past year 18, price the replacement even if you end up repairing.
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Where the leak is matters more than that there is one
Roofs almost never fail in the open field. They fail at joints — where the roof meets a wall, a chimney, a valley or a vent.
A leak at a joint on an otherwise healthy roof is a flashing repair, and that is a genuinely small job. A leak in the middle of a slope, with granule loss and curling shingles around it, means the surface itself is done.
Ask any contractor to show you a photo of where the water is entering. Someone who cannot produce one has not looked properly.
The signals that push toward replacement
Granules collecting in the gutters in volume, shingles curling at the edges across multiple slopes, visible daylight in the attic, soft or spongy decking underfoot, or a roof already carrying two layers. Any two of these together and repair is usually throwing money at a roof you will replace within a couple of years anyway.
How to test whether you are being steered
Ask directly: what would it take to repair this instead, and how long would that buy me?
An honest contractor will answer that question even when the answer costs them the bigger sale, because they would rather have the referral. Someone who refuses to price a repair, or who cannot explain why a repair will not hold, is telling you something.
Common questions
Can I repair just one section of my roof?
Often yes, though matching shingle colour on an older roof is difficult and the repair will usually be visible. Function matters more than the match.
How long does a good repair last?
A properly executed flashing repair on a roof with life left can last the remaining life of the roof. A patch on a failing field buys you a season or two.
Will insurance cover a repair?
Insurance generally covers sudden damage from a specific event, not gradual wear. A storm-related repair may be covered; a worn-out roof will not be.
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