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Have you recently moved into a new home and you’ve got no idea how old your roof actually is? It’s actually a much more common problem than you might think – and we’re here to help. Even if you’ve lived in the same place for a few years, it’s not uncommon to have absolutely no idea how old your roof is or if or when it was replaced.

How to find out when a roof was replaced

Not knowing how old your roof is could be a problem. While you’d think you might be able to spot any major damage or wear and tear – some roofs need more regular check-ups once they reach a certain age.

Planning for new expenditures like having a roof repaired or replaced is important. These things can be expensive, and you don’t want to be surprised by a new leak in a roof you thought was much younger than it actually is.
That’s why it’s important that you know how old your roof is. Roofs of a certain age simply need to be checked more often and will be much more likely to spring a leak or have other issues. Don’t rely on guesswork when it comes to protecting your home and keeping your roof in order

Find out how old your roof is.


So now you know how important having the right information on roof age is, what can you do about it? Let’s have a look at how to find out when a roof was replaced or installed:

• Ask the previous owners
• Check the building permit
• Check the roofing company
• Check public records
• Ask a roofing expert to estimate

How to Find Out When a Roof Was Replaced ? Ask the previous owners

The first and perhaps easiest step in determining how old your roof is or when it was replaced is to simply find the right people to ask. And that’s normally the previous homeowners (or the owners before them, and so on…). You probably already have information on how to get in touch with them, so a simply phonecall or message could do the trick.

If they can remember, this is one of the easiest steps in the book. You’ll have the information you need. However, a word of caution – some people might not be able to remember correctly and the information they provide you could be inaccurate (through no fault of their own). If they’ve got receipts or other documents, that could be even more helpful.

While this step could be the easiest and most straightforward. Many homeowners won’t be able to remember exactly when the roof was done, or you might not be able to get in touch with them. If that’s the case, then you’ll need to try something else…

Check the building permit

Depending on where you live, you might be required to have a building permit before any roof installations are carried out. If that’s the case, then you should already have a copy of this permit with the other documents relating to your house. Try having a look through as finding the permit could be a big indication on when your roof was done.

One thing to remember when looking for your building permit is this will only be evidence of when the permit was granted, not actual evidence of when the roof was installed or repaired. At least you’ll know that the roof can’t be older than the permit, but it can be valid for a few years meaning the roof could have been installed a while after.

If you do have a lot of similar documents in the same location, you might also want to look for a receipt. This could be an even more accurate piece of evidence as a receipt is normally only written out just after the work is completed.

Check the roofing company

While you might not have the documentation on hand yourself, the roofing company might have. The only difficult part could be actually knowing who carried out the roof work. There might actually be branded evidence up in your attic or roof cavity, so you could have a look and phone them. If there’s only one or two roofing specialists in your area, you could just try randomly phoning them and hoping for the best.

Most roofers will have detailed records going back years, so as long as your roof isn’t too old (some can predate local roofers), they should be able to give you the information you need. If they can’t over the phone straight away, try writing or emailing them so they can have a more detailed look in their records. They should be more than happy to do this as it could lead to more work for them.

Check public records

Aside from having the records yourself, the local town or county might have the details on record. Depending where you live, there are a number of places this could be, including the local code enforcement office or local tax office. Ask around as to where might have this sort of information and then get in touch with them. They should be able to provide it to your for free, although it might not be the fastest way to find out.

Ask a roofing expert to estimate

If you’ve tried all these other methods of getting an exact estimate in the form of documentation and still haven’t come up with any answers, you might need to try something else. If all else fails, you might want to consult a professional roofing contractor. A good one should be able to inspect your roof and give you an accurate estimate on how old it is and whether it needs any work done.

What will a contractor look for when making an estimate?

In order to make an accurate estimate, you roofing contractor will look at a number of different factors. These should include checking for leakages, analyzing the roof flashing, looking for valleys and other dips, checking for buckled or curled shingles and more.

A good roofer will be able to give you the most accurate estimate possible. Then you’ll know how you want to proceed and if a new roof or repair might be needed any time soon.

Hopefully you’ve now got enough information to work out exactly how old your roof is without too much hassle.

Think you’ve got a roof that isn’t up to scratch? While most roofers are normally respectable professionals, that isn’t always the case. if you’ve got a roof that you’re unsure about, you’re in the right place.

In this article, we’re going to look at a few different signs of a bad roofing job – whether you’ve got shingles, membrane, or any other type of roof.

The best way to help prevent getting a bad roof is by making sure you use a good roofing company. They aren’t all the same. So that means you need to take a bit of care when looking around.

Try asking neighbours or friends – other people you KNOW have been happy with their roofing contractor. If you don’t know anyone personally, try checking a few review sites online or our own article about questions to ask a roofer before signing the deal that will help you make sure you hire the right contractor.

Perhaps most importantly, a good roofer should be able to show you countless examples of their finished work. Not just in their portfolio, but also with actual real examples and places you can visit to see the finished job. If they can’t show you this, or have recently moved to the area, you might want to look elsewhere when deciding who to hire.

Now that you know a little bit more about finding the right roofing firm for you, how can you tell if an existing roofing job has gone wrong?

Here are the signs of a bad roofing job to look for

The roof doesn’t have a uniform appearance

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One simple way to actually tell if you’ve got a roof that’s in poor condition or hasn’t been installed properly, is to look at it. It’s probably the first thing you should try. By having a good look at your roof (maybe even getting up and having a look at it), you’ll be able to spot all sort of problems. But you’ll especially be able to spot if your roof doesn’t have a uniform appearance.

A good roof should look uniform throughout. A bad roofing job should be able to show quite easily with a visual inspection. If you notice any sagging roof lines, this could be a major indication that you’ve got a problem, or your roof wasn’t installed by a quality contractor.
Some other visual indicators of a poor roof include if some of the shingles are different colors. A big sign that your roofing job was carried out by a low-quality contractor is if one section of the roof is made from a completely different material to the rest. Roofers shouldn’t run out of material, and when they do – they should only buy the same to finish the roof. But not every roofer does this.

Incomplete flashing

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The drip edge flashing is what roofers install around the edge of a roof. This is so that it can prevent water damage to the main structure of the roof. Good flashing can also protect your actual home from pest problems that often start in the roof area or attic. While this wasn’t always the case, installing flashing is a requirement if you’re having a shingle roof installed.

If your roof is missing complete coverage from drip edge flashing, you could have a problem. The problem is, spotting missing drip edges can sometimes be quite difficult. Regular homeowners like yourself might not normally be able to spot any issues, so hiring a reputable roofer to inspect might be necessary.

Are are just a few problems a bad drip edge flashing could cause: 

• Rotting
• Mold
• Staining
• Flooded basements

And more.

Poor shingle nailing job

Bad roofing jobs often have poor nailing-work around them. Property, high-quality roofing contractors will know how to nail properly, but not every roofer does.

Your roof might have overdriven nails which is where the nails have been hammered too hard and deep into the shingle layer. You’ll often be able to notice this, and the nails will look too sunk into the shingle.

Another sign of poor quality nailing is actually down to the quality of the nails themselves. A good roofer that wants to perform a high-quality job will use the best nails available, and these will especially be ones that do not rust. If you notice your roof nails rusting, then your roofer might have cut costs. The best nails are normally galvanized and stainless steel, and these should not rust.

Another indicator of poor quality nailing is when the nails simply aren’t in the right place. This is a more common problem than you might think, but a high quality roofer will know exactly where the nails should go. Nails should normally only be applied 2.5cm from the edges of shingles.

Old material being reused

When you get a new roof put in place, it should be made up from new materials. One short-cut many low-quality roofers take is by ripping up and re-using old materials as a way to try and cut costs. Most commonly, your roofer might have re-used old slashing around the edges of your roof instead of installing with completely new material. This can often lead to leaks and other issues.

Roof flashing can only be used once, so re-using it is a big no-no and a proper sign of a poor roofing company. Even if your older roof flashing looks fine, that doesn’t mean it is.

Rotted parts of your roof

Another big indicator of a poor roofing job is if parts of the roof (particularly the decking). If a roof needs replacing completely, your roofer should strip the old roof off entirely before starting on a new one. This allows your roofer to check the decking underneath to see if there are any other issues or leaks, and especially so they can spot rotting.

Rotted decking will not be able to hold nails and therefore roofing shingles in place. You’d be surprised how many low-quality roofers ignore this step of checking the decking underneath. That means they could be nailing shingles into an area that won’t hold them very well. This could make your roof much less durable than it should be – and last nowhere near as long.

Hopefully, these simply tips have been enough to give you a good idea what to look for when trying to spot a poor roofing job. And that you will never have to deal with yourself.

If you live in a particularly wet area or simply have a leaking issue that you need fixing, you’re probably already aware how stressful finding the right solution is.

Thankfully – all is not lost. In this article, we’re going to look at some of the issues surrounding roof leaks, as well as some key solutions.

So if you want to know what to do when your roof leaks and how to find a leak and potentially fix it yourself – keep reading.

What to do when your roof leaks – Inspect the roof yourself

If you first think you’ve got a roof leakage problem – you need to find out how serious the problem is and make a decision as to whether you can fix it yourself. Thankfully, some minor roof leaks shouldn’t be too difficult to fix with the right tools. So let’s have a look at how to inspect the roof yourself:

The first step is obvious – you need to get up into your roof and have a look around. While some major leaks will start showing through your house and into your rooms, you don’t want to let it get to that stage. Many smaller leaking issues will only show in the roof cavity or loft area, so get up and have a look around.

Remember: keep safety as your number one priority. Make sure the roof cavity area is well-lit (this will help you spot any problems much more easily as well). Wear the right protective equipment and don’t stand anywhere unsafe.

It might be a good idea to start inspecting your roof when it’s raining, so you’ll see where water is entering your building – and how much. If this isn’t possible, try setting up an unmanned hose to fire water at your roof, or get someone to hold it while you inspect inside. If you have things stored in your loft area that you don’t want to get wet during these tests, you might want to clear the area first.

One problem with finding the leak yourself is that there often might not even be visible drips from actual holes. You may find puddles or spillage in areas that aren’t right next to the roof holes.

In other words, water can slowly collect and build up from small trickles and leaks that are hard to actually spot. One tip is to try and think like the water, and follow any small streams and drips to find the main source. If the drip is already coming through into your main home, you can start your inspection right there and follow the stream to its source in the roof, hopefully.

If you’re having any trouble with this step, you might want to hire a professional to come in and help you. They’ve normally got much more experience finding roof issues than you might have, so it should be reasonably straightforward for them to help.

See if there are any small-scale repairs you can do

While major leaking problems will normally need a professional roofing company to help with, there might be some small things you can do to fix minor leaks yourself. First things first – put buckets in affected areas to catch drips while you work. Protect your furniture and carpets as well as possible.

Your ability to fix a leak might depend on the type of roof you’ve got installed. Shingles, slates and metal roofs will all have different features that might need specialist knowledge before you can fix them. If you’re unsure, consult an expert.

To cover a leaking section of your roof, you can roll out heavy polyethylene sheeting and fix it externally to affected areas. Be aware that this should only be a temporary measure before a more sustainable solution is found.

If you know where a specific hole is causing a leak, you might also be able to fix it by securing a piece of galvanized sheet metal flashing to your roof. You need to be sure that fixing the roof yourself is going to work – and you need to be careful. Working on roofs can be dangerous, so you’ll need to be extra careful and make sure you’ve got all the right equipment.

Consult an expert

If you’re unsure about your roof leak or how to fix it, consult an expert. Don’t take risks and try and fix the roof yourself unless you’re both sure you can do a good job to your roof, and you’re sure you can work safely on top of it.

There should be some good roofing firms in your area that you can talk to. Some will offer free consultations and competitive quotes.

What options are available?

Depending on the type of roof and how badly damaged it is, there might be a number of options available. You’ll find this out by consulting an industry expert. You might need to tear off your roof and have a new one installed, or there might be relaying options as well as specific spot-fixes. Make sure you get a good idea of exactly what’s necessary.

You might want to speak to a couple of different firms to get a range of opinions.

How much might it cost?

Before you hire someone to complete the job, you need to make sure you know how much it’s going to cost. This will depend on what sort of roof it is, the area you live in, how damaged it is and how hard it is to access. Don’t simply go with the first quote as you might be able to find a better price by shopping around. Just remember – don’t just go for the cheapest option. Go for the best.

Check if you’re still under warranty

If you recently had your roof installed or repaired – you might still be under warranty. Many reputable roofing firms will guarantee their work for a number of years. That means if you’ve got an issue, you might be able to get it fixed for free.

Check your insurance

Roof issues like leakage could be covered by your home insurance, so they might be able to take care of the costs. Check the smallprint of your policies and phone them up if you have to.

Hopefully, you now know a bit more about what to do if you roof leaks. If you’re unsure, reach out to a roofing specialist and they might be able to help you.