Significant projects like a roof replacement are often enough to keep a homeowner up at night. However, your roof isn’t so fragile that the slightest damage would mean the entire roof would need to be replaced. In many cases, you can often patch the roof so the damage doesn’t worsen, but it’s important to know what may lead to you calling an emergency roofing repair professional in the middle of the night and what isn’t.

When you find that your roof is leaking, it’s easy to brush it off as a minor issue, and that may very well be the case. It’s not unusual for a technician to make a roof leak repair without requiring a significant replacement. But when you start to notice water leaking, you must get a roofing contractor to look at whether a replacement might be necessary.

Here are some of the factors that can mean the difference between a roof repair and a roof replacement if you find your roof leaking:

Are There Other Signs of Damage?

Your roof will be damaged at some point in the course of its life. A damaged roof sounds intimidating, but it might mean that some flashing has come loose or shingles are missing, and nothing else needs to be worried about. Shingles are easily replaced, and flashing can be reattached without calling for a total roof replacement.

Missing shingles might be why your roof is leaking, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only problem, though. If your roof’s leaking, then you want to inspect it for other signs of damage as well as getting in contact with your local roofing professionals to get it checked. You need this additional inspection because roofing professionals are trained to look for signs of water damage that you might not be able to see and determine whether they’re able to do a roof leak repair or if the entire roof needs to be replaced.

What Will Be Needed To Repair It?

You might think that it’s always better to opt for roof repairs than to go for an entire replacement, but that isn’t always true. When a roof leak is left untreated for a long time, the water often seeps into the roofing material, causing it to rot. In extreme cases, it can make the roof deck unsteady and jeopardize the safety of your family.

Admittedly, some inexperienced roofing companies may always tell you you need to replace the roof once a leak springs up, but trained professionals will explain why a roof leak repair might be more expensive in the long run than installing a new roof altogether before ever suggesting it.

How Old Is the Roof?

Depending on how long you’ve owned the house and how frequently your roof starts leaking, you might want to consider replacing your roof to prevent leaks in the future. Roof replacements usually take place every few decades, depending on the type of material used. So, when you’re deciding whether to opt for a roof leak repair or total roof replacement, you want to account for the age of the current roof. The last thing you want to do is pay to repair a roof that you’ll need to entirely replace in a couple of years anyway.

To find out more about what to do when your roof’s leaking or get in touch with our 24-hour roof repair services, call Union Roofing today!