What Happens When You Wait To Replace Your Roof?

Spring comes and goes along with much of the rain. It rains less in the Summer so you naturally forget about getting your roof replaced or those minor leaks fixed until Fall comes around and it begins to storm and you are quickly reminded you need to get your roof repaired or replaced.

But what happens when you keep on putting off replacing your roof? Here is what could happen…

1. Water Begins to Leak Inside Your Home

The first and most obvious sign of what happens when you wait to fix your roof is it will begin to leak causing water damage. You may begin to see water spots on your ceiling or even running down your walls. A leaking roof will only continue to gradually get worse and worse when you neglect to fix it. The water will only further rot your roof and other interior structures in your home. When you notice a leak, it is best to act fast and get it fixed. Otherwise, what could of been a simple small-cost repair can end up in a more expensive full roof replacement.

Having a leaking roof also imposes a health risk. By the time you notice a water spot on your bedroom ceiling, the moisture has already exposed itself to insulation, wood, wiring, and more. All of these wet items are prone to grow mold which is going to affect your indoor air quality and cause eye itchiness and overall sinus irritation. You can’t just ‘clean’ mold either. All the components that grew mold will need to be removed and replaced which can get costly – plus you still have to fix the leak!

2. Your Utility Bill Will Begin to Rise

So when you start to realize what can is coming into your home through the hole and leaks of your roof, you must remember that there is air going out as well. Specifically, your HVAC system heated and cooled air will escape through gaps in the roof. This is mostly noticed when running a furnace in the cooler months because hot air rises and exits, creating drafts. But regardless of the season, leaks in a roof cause your HVAC system to cycle more frequently which not only drives up utility bills but also causes your air conditioner or furnace to malfunction sooner. Once again, forcing you to make unnecessary costly repairs to the HVAC – while roof repairs are still needed!

3. You May Begin to Experience Unwanted Furry Tenants

Your home can become infested with animals and pests with a failed roofing system. Mice and bats can squeeze into your home through roof holes as small as a ¼ of an inch. The longer you go without repairing these holes, the bigger they get. Soon you’ve got an animal lounge in your attic that includes birds, squirrels, possum, raccoons, and more. Some homeowners can deal with maybe their roof collapsing – but when you start talking about mice and bats cohabiting with you, now that’s a deal-breaker.

Again, don’t let the problem get out of control, and don’t let one problem (a leaky roof) lead to another problem (animal infestation).

4. Your Roof Will Begin to Dip or Sag

Your roof collapsing, the thought might never cross your mind, but allowing leaks to fester over time it can become a possibility. The truth of the matter is that when leaks force water past the surface roofing material, it causes the plywood sheathing underneath to lose strength. Eventually this will cause dips in the roof. When a roof has dips, water collects in those low spots instead of raining down into the gutter as intended.

These dips can cause a constant leak. It will just keep getting lower and lower, making the wood sheathing below that much more rotted and vulnerable. Eventually, the weight of the pooling water is going to be too heavy for the roof to support and something has to eventually give. Now you’ve not only got to replace the roof, but you also need to re-sheet it and possibly fix rotted roof trusses. Which can become pretty costly at $35 for a sheet of plywood or $2.50/ plank decking/linear foot when replacing a roof. This doesn’t even take into account all the water damage that occurred to your home’s interior as the stagnant water flooded onto the ceiling, walls, floor, furniture, etc.

5. Your Home Decreases Value

An old roof in need of replacement will not only function poorly but will also look bad. If you are looking to sell your property, roof replacement is definitely a renovation that you’ll want to consider before you list it. When a potential home buyer looks at the property and sees that a new roof is sorely needed, they can easily be turned off because they don’t want to undertake a renovation right away or negotiate it into the price.

Replacing your roof, on the other hand, will both increase the resale value of your home and improve its curb appeal. Even if you are just looking to increase the equity of your property, whether you plan on using that equity to make further repairs and upgrades, or simply to increase your net worth, replacement of your old roof is a prudent choice.

So, it is extremely important for you to always be on the lookout for roof failures and any signs of damage that need to be repaired. When you find these things, you should at least seriously consider making the repairs as soon as possible. However, we know that sometimes it is not possible to make repairs at a certain time, either due to financial, scheduling, operations, or other reasons. If this is the case, make sure you write down the issues you found and what you need to do to fix them. As soon as it becomes possible to make the required repairs, make them! Don’t allow yourself to forget about them or think “Well, nothing has happened yet, I can wait a little bit longer.” No. Get them fixed ASAP!