Insights Shared About Residential Roofing Longevity & Services in Clinton Township

Clinton Township, MI-based Miller's Home Improvement has published new insights on roof lifetimes and what can be done to extend their longevity. These insights have been shared on the company’s blog space, freely accessible through their official website.

In ‘A Roof’s Cycle Through the Years,’ the company states, “Roofing materials age and go through an enormous transformation after their first three years. Depending on your material, the removed roofing materials will head to recycling centers where they’re broken down and resold as raw materials for high-quality manufacturers.”

The first year or so following a roof’s installation is, as many would expect, its best. During this period, the roof can reliably be expected to weather all sorts of adverse conditions with little trouble, including hail, snow, and so on. However, the company acknowledges that freak weather events or other factors can sometimes lead to damage or excessive wear and tear, but even this remote danger can be mitigated via yearly maintenance. Miller's Home Improvement offers this service, and homeowners are welcome to sign up for one of the company’s periodic maintenance plans if they have any concerns about their roofs. Generally, even in situations where the roof performs perfectly, this maintenance can have another benefit: extending the roof’s lifespan and guaranteeing its ongoing functionality as the years go on.

According to the Miller's Home Improvement blog post, most roofs will start to deteriorate in small ways when they are between 3-5 years old. The constant change of the seasons and daily weather events will inevitably start to take their toll, but the company says their advice here remains the same: maintenance. A professional roofer can both identify and correct small signs of deterioration before they start to serve as footholds for more insidious issues. With adequate maintenance, a roof at this age will generally be fine for another five years, at least.

Unfortunately, the 10-year mark is when serious issues start to show themselves. Miller's Home Improvement has been providing residential roofing services and beyond for more than 30 years, and they say that homeowners will typically notice, “severe wear and tear on some parts of your roof. Pooled water damage is especially visible after its 10 years of roofing service. Your roofing maintenance frequency will have increased to twice a year after 10 years to make sure you can reduce the possible severe damages that can spread throughout your roof.” This increased maintenance can preserve the roof for five more years, but the company warns that it will eventually need a roofer’s near-constant attention.

Provided the roof only withstands regular wear and tear, it may survive intact till it is 15 years old, but the company says roof maintenance will be of limited use at this point. While a roofer can still keep the roof functional by swiftly correcting any issues discovered during their assessments, the homeowner may find that they have little choice but to call the roofer more often due to an increased need for emergency repairs.

The oldest roofs in the region are around 20 years old, and roofers tend to recommend that they be replaced completely in the near future (within 3-5 years). Maintenance and emergency repairs can continue to extend the roof’s longevity for some time, but this will soon become an exercise in futility.

Miller's Home Improvement acknowledges that certain factors can reduce a roof’s lifespan or introduce damage well before it is expected. Along with extreme weather, freak accidents can mean the roof requires emergency repairs more than a decade ahead of schedule. Further, roofs that do not receive yearly maintenance are more likely to see minor imperfections, such as small leaks and missing shingles, which eventually develop into problems that need much larger repairs. Such repairs tend to be more costly as well, which is why the company strongly recommends that homeowners consider signing up for a periodic maintenance schedule.

As the post points out, “replacing a roof is a very expensive endeavor, but routine maintenance is not. By keeping up with the maintenance of your roof, you can count on it staying intact and durable for decades and avoid an early roof replacement.”

The company invites homeowners to read the full post to learn more. Anyone interested in having their roof inspected can also contact Miller's Home Improvement to get started. See more here: Residential Roofing Services in Clinton Township.