How to know if your pitched roof needs replacing or repairing


If you have a pitched roof, you could be easily led to think that it would be spared the brunt of potentially damaging weather like rain and wind. Unfortunately, though, this isn’t always the case in practice. For example, a steep roof could be punished by bright sunshine that falls on its surface.

While it’s true that, as This Old House attests, steep roofs are less likely than shallow-pitched roofs to accumulate debris capable of adversely affecting the roof, you should still be concerned if…

Whole shingles are missing

On the face of it, this problem has a simple remedy: replacement of the lost shingles. However, as you replace each of those shingles one by one, you could find that the roof starts looking patchy in colour. Alas, finding a new shingle of the same colour as an old one is just about impossible.

That’s due to how significantly granule colours have altered over the years, Good Housekeeping reveals – so you might instead want to wholly replace your roof, at least for cosmetic reasons.

You can see cracks in shingles

You would typically have the wind to blame for cracked shingles, but they can be replaced provided that there are currently only a few of them on your roof. Fortunately, with contractors offering efficient roof repairs in Newcastle upon Tyne, Durham and other places, the issue could be rectified quickly.

You would have more to worry about if you see scattered patches of shingle cracks around the roof surface. In that instance, you should consider having the roof replaced.

You can see moss or algae on the shingles

In theory, a pitched roof shouldn’t collect moss or algae as easily as flatter roofs. After all, leaves and other debris would be conventional culprits, but also vulnerable to falling straight off pitched roofs. However, you shouldn’t assume that your own roof would be entirely safe…

If you do spot moss or algae on your pitched shingle roof, you could wash the surface or if you would prefer, get the roof replaced. The decision is ultimately yours.

Sunlight is trickling through a hole in your attic

We’re going to assume that you probably don’t venture into your attic too often. However, it could be worth checking it, as there’s a possibility that sunlight is flickering through a gap there. If this is indeed the case, then rain, snow or cold air could obviously get through that opening, too.

It might have already done so, perhaps evidenced by water stains. As a general rule, the larger the leak, the more significant the wisdom is of replacing the roof rather than repairing it.

You can spot stains on the ceiling

Even if you never ascend into the attic, you may spot water stains on other ceilings in your home. If you do, you should trace the leak responsible and then quickly get it fixed, the Family Handyman site urges. You could also have a local roofing firm, like the North East England company Findley Roofing & Building, soon replace the roof entirely.