How long does a new roof last?
When purchasing a new roof for your home, you want to make sure that it not only does its job at protecting your home from hail, rain and falling branches. But that will last you for years to come.
One thing to keep in mind when asking “how long will my roof last” is what the weather is like in your area. If your city is known for high winds, heavy rain, hail, hurricanes, or other major storm related events than chances are your roof will not last to the frequently boasted “30 year” mark that many manufacturers claim their shingles will last you.
For us in Texas we know that with our high winds averaging between 20mph and 40mph, golf ball sized hail, fallen trees and flash flooding caused by heavy rainfall, and the blistering texas sun we face some serious weather conditions that could compromise the integrity of your roof.
How does the Texas weather affect your Roof?
Sun/Heat: It’s no secret that Texas can get HOT with temperatures reaching 106 in 2021. This in and of itself shouldn’t cause much (if any) damage to your roof. However anything sitting in the hot Texas sun for days on end will inevitably dry out which could make the shingles brittle. However, most shingle manufacturers have already come out with new technology that slows the wear from heat. But nevertheless, it is something to keep in mind when selecting your new roof
Rain: While rain in and of itself generally will not be able to cause any damage to your roof. It CAN make its way into part of your roof that have been struck by hail, cracked by heat, or lifted by wind
Hail: As roofing contractors, we could not begin to tell you how often we get claims revolving around hail damages. We’ve seen countless homes all with anywhere from pea sized hail marks to as large as 3 inches (Note: the size of a hail hit does not necessarily indicate the weight or size of the hail that struck, as hail is not perfectly spherical it is possible that hail as large as a fist could only leave a 1 inch hail mark on your roof)
Wind: While it is unlikely that one or two storms with 30 mile an hour winds will cause your shingles to break away or lift to the point of compromising structural integrity. The reality is that your home is going to experience more than just one or two wind storms in its lifetime. While many manufacturers now offer wind warranties from 40mph winds to 60 mph winds, and some even with unlimited wind warranties. This is an important portion to consider, especially when selecting the contractor to install your roof. On numerous occasions we have seen houses with shingles torn off, not because the wind was too high for the single. But because the previous installer did not install a quality shingle and/or the shingles used were installed INCORRECTLY.
So, with all of this said there is one more thing to consider when choosing a roof. That being “what manufacturer do i use”. As contractors we prefer to install GAFs Timberline HDZ for all of our asphalt jobs. (Disclaimer: we are not sponsored by GAF).
