The main components to any building include the foundation, structural beams and roof. Round out these parts with walls and ceilings, and you have a shelter that lasts for many decades. The roof is a worthwhile investment before it begins to rapidly decline. It’s an expensive endeavor, however. Explore the various reasons why it’s worth the money to replace the roof. Generations to come will live comfortably under its strong structure.
Pays You Back in Time
The cost of a roof and siding full replacement can start at $7,500 and up. It all depends on the roof’s size, the structural design and necessary materials. These upfront costs may be intimidating at first, but you’ll actually gain revenue back in time.
Massachusetts Real Estate News reports that homeowners can recoup around 69 percent of their roofing investment. This amount comes from a heightened value in the property because of the roof renovation. Any major changes to the home, from replacing the roof to remodeling the kitchen, adds value. Buyers see the changes and understand their value. They’ll ultimately pay more for one house over another when a new roof is the main difference between the competing properties.
Investing in your roof takes some vision. You won’t see the 69 percent come back in a check mailed to the home. Think of the amount that the home might sell for in a few years. A bidding war is possible, which drives the price up even more. Enjoy the roof for several years before selling. It still has a lot of value after five years or more. Most roofs last for around 30 years. Buyers will like these numbers as they add up their potential investments.
Solves Those Attic Leaks
If you’ve ever ventured into the attic, this space is often a haven for unusual stains on the wood beams above you. Most attics aren’t finished with drywall and paint. Structural beams are the norm along the ceiling area. This wood isn’t always perfect. Stains and other visual problems seem to change as the seasons move ahead.
Interior wood shouldn’t change color. These stains are due to the slow movement of water into the home from damaged shingles. It’s worth it to invest in the roof because these stains won’t appear anymore.
Water can seep through old roofing, especially shingles and aging underlayment. The moisture moves under the roofing materials and into the attic. Water seeks the path of least resistance. It might drip down to the floor or move along structural beams. Rot is a possibility as the water remains stagnant in a closed area.
Replace the roof to see this damage disappear. The interior space must be repaired, but no further water should move into the home because of a roof renovation.
Reduces Energy Costs
You’ve heard of heat rising in any structure. This concept holds true for the roof and attic. As heat rises through the home, the attic captures it with a solid roof. Older roofs, however, pose problems. Any conditioned air through the structure will dissipate through cracks, holes and other pathways.
Invest in a roof renovation to see your energy costs drop. You’ll notice that there’s no need to turn up the HVAC systems on hot or cold days. The roof acts as an insulator, which is similar to the walls being filled with insulation.
Electricity savings will continue for the life of the new rooftop. Many homeowners count these savings as a return on their investment. If you compare previous bills to your current charges, the differences are staggering.
Combine the energy savings with the potential increase in property value, and you have an investment that almost pays for itself. You must simply look at the accumulated savings over time with roof and siding full replacements.
Keeps the Home at a Comfortable Temperature
A declining rooftop is the equivalent of a cracked window. You might try to heat or cool the home, but the comfort doesn’t last. The HVAC system must work extra hard in order to keep everyone comfortable.
Consider a roof renovation because this investment tops the home with a cap. Any conditioned air that moves through the system will stay in place.
Household comfort is a great selling feature. Consider an open house as potential buyers walk in the home. Regardless of the season, the interior will be comfortable. This fact even applies with the front door being opened and closed throughout the open-house festivities. The real-estate agent might comment on the comfort level, which draws the buyers’ attentions to the roof’s health. Any subtle way to improve the home’s outlook with buyers is a great way to increase the return on your investment.
Gives Feature Opportunities
A roof replacement gives you a chance to be creative. Your home might be one of dozens in the area with a cookie-cutter appearance. They all look identical. Property developments with similar homes are quick and easy to construct. You want to stand out, so try a rooftop feature as the renovation project moves ahead.
Consider skylights within the rooftop. There might be several installed across the surface. Light up a hallway, living area or bedroom. The design opportunities are endless. These features can be seamlessly added to the roof when older materials are being pulled from the structure.
It’s an expensive and nearly impossible job to add several skylights to an existing rooftop. Leaks might occur. Integrate the skylights into the new roof to see a significant increase in your potential revenue. Buyers will pay more for a home with natural light flooding the interior spaces.
Delights Potential Buyers
One of the most attractive items on a home is a roof renovation or replacement, reports Home Advisor. Other additions, such as windows and garage doors, are also high-value items that drive sales.
The real-estate market ebbs and flows with the financial times. It may be a buyer’s market one month while quickly switching to a seller’s market in the next quarter. Make your home irresistible by investing in roof renovation. It initially adds curb appeal as buyers pull up to the home. The roof speaks volumes about your level of care within the house. Buyers might drive right by a home that looks neglected with an aging rooftop.
Because many buyers research online for their potential investments, advertising the roof and siding full replacements on your listing is critical. Some buyers might sort their choices by the latest additions. Be at the top of their lists by replacing the roof and caring for it afterward. This property care extends to other areas in the home.
Readies the Property for Solar Panels
If you’ve been contemplating the addition of solar panels to your home, the roof must be in sound condition. Ideally, it should have a decade or more to its remaining lifespan before adding any panels to the surface, reports The Washington Post.
A solar-panel installation requires posts driven into your rooftop and affixed to the structural beams. The rooftop below is still in functional order, but it will be covered from view. You don’t want to install panels on an older roof because you’ll have to remove everything during the next renovation.
The panels and shingles must be pulled off the roof in these cases. You’ll end up losing your investment. Always focus on the rooftop first, and then decide on solar panels. With these installations being brand-new types, the roof will be even more of a value for your pocketbook. Buyers will love the new roof and solar installation.
Hire contractors who’re experienced with both rooftops and solar panels. They’ll give you an installation that works for your specific needs.
Encourages Certain Tax Breaks
Depending on your region, there may be tax breaks for the investment in your roof. New materials often have tax breaks to encourage sales and better environmental effects in your area.
Replacing materials that are considered hazardous can also be tax breaks. Shake roofs that are prone to fire, for example, tend to be covered by these tax incentives. The key to finding all of the information about these breaks requires some research. Look at city, county and state websites in regards to roof renovation. Consider all of the details surrounding your home and potential materials to improve it.
In some cases, the tax breaks are geared toward community betterment. Improving a community with higher property values than before contributes to a better quality of life. You invest in the rooftop, but you gain some money back from the government. The property still gains even more revenue back from the energy savings and potential selling prices.
Shores up the Property for Generational Use
Many of the benefits to investing in a roof is the selling features. The profit margin is relatively high. Many families, however, don’t want to sell the home. It’s considered the family property. You intend to pass it down through the generations.
There are still worthwhile reasons to invest in the roof when the property stays with the family. Your children, grandchildren and future relatives don’t have to worry about roof and siding full replacements. In fact, some materials will last for two generations. Metal, clay and concrete roofing materials can last 50 years or longer.
If you continually maintain the roof as the family passes down the property, it can last for the maximum time allowed for that material. The care rules for the roof and the rest of the home must be diligently passed down to the new owners. When everyone is aware of the proper maintenance periods, the roof won’t suffer any major damages.
Protects the Finances With a Solid Warranty
Invest in a new roof because you gain a warranty out of the installation. Every quality installation comes with a warranty for the materials and labor. If the roof fails in any area afterward, the contractors fix it without a new charge. Premature failure is rare, but it can happen with defective materials. The warranty is in place to protect the consumer and contractor. Everyone is covered from a financial perspective when a warranty is in place.
A declining roof that’s constantly patched is rarely covered under any significant warranty. Failures across the roof must be covered by the owners. The costs can be nearly as high as an outright replacement. At least with roof and siding full replacements, you’re planning for the investment instead of having it thrust upon you in an emergency.
Rooftop warranties vary from the manufacturers and contractors. They might extend to 10 years or longer. Reading over the fine print will justify the roof investment from a financial standpoint.
Offers Accessory Opportunities
Aside from adding skylight features, there are other accessories to add to a new installation or roof renovation. Your roof may be missing a few items that are improvements on its original structure. As a renovation takes place, ask about proper flashing and gutter aprons. Flashing is the metal pieces that you see along rooftop transition points, such as around chimneys. Kick-out flashing, for example, can guide water away from a sidewall that can succumb to rot otherwise, states The Family Handyman.
Gutter aprons are constantly left out of older installations. Invest in your roof with these guards added to the edges of the rooftop. Any water dripping into the gutters won’t damage the fascia.
A roof project gives you a chance to add these features without much change to the labor amount. You’re already investing in the project as a whole. Fixing these areas with patch work will only cost you more money. The rooftop will still need a major renovation at some point. It’s better to combine all the work together into one project, including roof and siding full replacements.
Eliminates Roof Microbes
If you ever looked up at your rooftop and saw unusual streaks, these visual cues aren’t imaginary. They’re actually microbes that are growing on the shingles themselves. The roof doesn’t have to be necessarily shaded for certain microbes to grow and spread. They will eventually eat away at the roofing materials.
Roof and siding full replacements entirely remove the old materials covered in microbes. The latest materials are thick and built with resistant substances. It’s difficult for microbes to grow on brand-new roofing. This scenario is enough reason to invest in a new roof for many people.
Consider the rooftop corners that have a green hue. Mold and moss can live on an older rooftop. It will unexpectedly break down at some point, however. As soon as you see changes to the rooftop’s colors, it’s time to research the next step in your home-improvement plans.
Safeguards Expensive Interior Accents
Investing in the rooftop is, by extension, an investment in the rest of the home. You may have worked hard and earned the money to lay out hardwood floors. They can be quickly damaged by a simple leak into the interior, however.
Protect those floors, walls and ceilings from harm with roof and siding full replacements. Taking one issue out of the equation allows you to concentrate on other pressing problems, such as leaking plumbing near the hardwood. The roof doesn’t have to be a factor in potential damage if it’s replaced in a timely manner.
Consider other treasures within your home too. Artwork, important papers and other items can rapidly disappear if the roof has a catastrophic failure. Although these items may be on a first floor of a two-story building, leaks from the roof can easily make their way into the lowest parts of the structure. You may not see the damage until it’s too late. Prioritize the roof’s stability so that the rest of the home is perfectly protected.
Provides a Good Look at the Roof’s Internal Structure
Invest in the rooftop because it gives you a chance to see the structure’s internal parts, suggests Money Magazine. It’s a fact that you cannot gain access to these areas without a roof renovation.
Pull the shingles and underlayment from the rooftop, and the contractors can see the sheathing or wood plywood. If there’s any damage to the wood, it can be replaced at that time. This same practice is applied to the structural beams. Water damage is always possible when a rooftop ages. Any damaged wood should be swapped out. It cannot be accessed with ease once the new roof goes in.
If a new roof goes across damaged wood, it will fail in little time. The roof will require another renovation. It’s always better to complete the work in one project. You can advertise the new wood and rooftop during any selling situation. Any buyer is thrilled to hear about a strong roof. Your bids might rise as a result of this information.
Whether you’re in the market for a roof renovation or complete replacement, hiring the proper contractors is imperative. Do your research when it comes to contractors and their expertise in the roofing industry. The installation lasts for many decades, so you want a quality job by the right workers.