Roofs are one of the most important structures to homeowners. They help secure the home from harsh weather conditions and other external factors. Due to how integral roofs are to your home structure, it is necessary to maintain and clean them to keep them in top shape. Unfortunately, your roof is bound to give in to wear and tear at some point.
When this happens, you must decide between reroofing or restoring the existing roof. We know how challenging it can be to make that decision. That’s why we will be comparing the two procedures in this post.
What is Reroofing?
Reroofing refers to when you partially or completely remove and replace a roof. This method is mostly a last resort when you can no longer restore the previous roof in any way.
When a roof has suffered a lot of damage to the extent that replacing tiles or shingles can no longer suffice, the best bet is to reroof. In that case, you will need to remove the support structure and the damaged roof.
As a result, reroofing is usually a cumbersome and expensive process. Since you will replace the entire structure, reroofing is more expensive than roof restoration.
Notwithstanding, reroofing is always more cost-effective in the long run. Besides, it is a way for you to attend to the pending problems with your roof all at once rather than covering them up bit by bit.
However, reroofing is recommended for cases where the roof is irreparable, and it continues to be susceptible to unrepairable problems. Lastly, you should seek the help of roofing professionals like Roof Pro if reroofing seems to be your only option.
Pros of Reroofing
- Replacing your entire roofing structure will help fix the problems with your roof at once and will certainly extend your roof’s lifespan.
- You can use this method regardless of the number of shingle layers on the roof.
- In the long run, it is more cost-effective than roof replacement.
Cons of Reroofing
Reroofing is always more expensive. The cost of reroofing will vary depending on factors, including building structure, roofing materials, roof accessibility, job size, and labor.
What is Roof Restoration?
Unlike the reroofing procedure, you don’t need to remove your existing roof when you want to use the roof restoration method. You will only extend your roof’s lifespan by repairing and resurfacing your current roof.
Professionals will inspect your roof to locate the problem points. Once they’ve located the problem areas, they will identify the appropriate procedure for tackling the issue in that area of your roof. They could simply clean, repair, or recoat such areas.
When roofing contractors want to carry out a roof restoration process, they usually place a new shingle overlay on top of the worn-out shingles on your roof. In most cases, this process helps improve the appearance of your roof and offers a new protective layer.
Since the entire process doesn’t require as much labor or materials as reroofing, a roof restoration is faster and less expensive. Due to this, most people are usually more drawn to roof restoration than re-roofing.
However, you must inspect your roof first before you decide that the roof restoration process is what you need. This is because your roof has to be in good condition to observe roof restoration.
Below are some things you need to take note of if you want to restore your roof.
- Your roof needs to be free of decay, leaks, or moisture.
- If you have any missing shingles, you will need to replace them before restoring your roof.
- You cannot restore your roof if you have installed two layers of shingles. This is a rule that exists to adhere to building codes.
Pros of Roof restoration
- This roofing procedure doesn’t require too much working time. It is also not as labor and material intensive as the reroofing process.
Cons of Roof restoration
- When you restore several areas of your roof by making them two layers of roof shingles, it will get to a point when you can no longer restore the roof. This is because another restoration would add a third layer after the first roof restoration process.
- Roof restoration doesn’t give your roof the long lifespan reroofing offers. Since it is considered bad practice, you may not be able to use the roof restoration method if you have a metal roof.
- It can be difficult to accurately spot the roofing areas that require fixes.
Reroofing Vs. Roof Restoration
Now that we understand what both procedures entail let’s take a look at how both procedures differ in terms of some notable factors.
- Pricing: Reroofing is more expensive compared to roof restoration.
- Lifespan: Roof restoration helps to increase the average lifespan of your roofing. Reroofing, on the other hand, is more of a replacement approach.
- Sustainability: Roof restoration is the more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach.
Reroofing or Roof Restoration
When deciding between reroofing and roof restoration, you can consider the following factors.
- Age of your roof: The age of the roof is a very important factor to consider. Changing an aging roof completely is more advisable than restoring it.
- Roof leaks:The rate of the leaks on your roof can also help you determine if you need to reroof or if you need to restore the roof. In cases where you have minor leaks in a few areas, you can easily fix them by using the restoration method. However, if the leaks are rapidly increasing across different areas on your roof, it might be a good investment for you to reroof.
- The extent of the damage on your roof: Most roof damages fall into two major categories which are:
- Aesthetic damage: These types include bald spots, missing granules on asphalt shingles, perforated or dented asphalt, rusted panels or shingles, and cupped or curled edges on asphalt.
A simple roof restoration procedure can help address aesthetic damages.
- Structural damage: These types of damages usually make roofing materials appear worn out and rugged. Algae and dark streaks will grow in and between the roofing materials.
Most of you will need to reroof to fix structural damages.
- Cost: Generally, roof restoration costs lesser than reroofing.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the decision to reroof or restore existing roofing will depend on how long the roof has served, its defect history, and how much value the roof can still offer. Reach out to RoofPro if you need help deciding the best approach for your roof.