Roof problems
Roof Replacement
When the roof is past repairing, what a new one involves and what to ask for.
Most asphalt roofs around Houston last fifteen to twenty years, less than the same shingle would in a cooler climate, because summer heat cooks the oils out of the mat and hail knocks the granules off. Past that point you stop paying for repairs and start paying for the same leak twice. The signs are cumulative: bald patches, curling tabs, granules in every downspout, and a repair bill every spring.
A replacement is a tear-off to the decking, replacement of any boards that have gone soft, new underlayment, new flashing, new vent boots and new shingles. The decking is where quotes diverge: a contractor who has not been on the roof cannot know how many boards will need replacing, so a good estimate states a per-sheet allowance rather than pretending there will be none.
What to ask for, whoever you use: the shingle line by name, the underlayment, the flashing being replaced rather than reused, the decking allowance in writing, how the old roof is disposed of, and the manufacturer warranty alongside the contractor's own. In Texas there is no roofing licence to check, so the written scope and the contractor's record in your town are what you are relying on.
What it looks like
- Shingles curling or cupping across the slope
- Bald patches where the granules have gone
- A repair most years for the last few years
- A roof over twenty years old in this climate
Whatever the problem turns out to be, the first step is the same: describe it, say where the house is, and one independent roofing contractor working in your town contacts you to look at it. No charge for being connected, and no obligation once he has.
Where
Roof Replacement across north Houston
Humble
Subdivisions from the seventies through the nineties under tall loblolly pine, which means twenty-year roofs under a constant rain of needles and the odd limb.
Kingwood
The Livable Forest. Mature trees on every lot, steep-pitched roofs from the eighties, and a lot of roofs replaced in the same two or three years after each big storm.
Porter
Montgomery County, fast-growing, with newer tract roofs next to older country houses and a lot of metal on outbuildings.
New Caney
Acreage, wooded lots and new construction along 59, where wind across open ground and pine limbs are the two things that take roofs apart.
Splendora
Small-town Montgomery County, rural lots, older houses, metal roofs on half the outbuildings and not many roofers based locally.
Crosby
East Harris County, open land and older subdivisions near the lake, with wind off the water and hail from the storms that follow the San Jacinto.
Dayton
Liberty County, country roofing: long driveways, metal on the shop, a shingle roof on the house, and the nearest big-town roofer a long drive away.
The Woodlands
Master-planned with covenants on what the roof can look like, large roofs under dense tree cover, and a replacement market dominated by hail claims.
Related
Get connected
Tell us what the roof is doing
One independent roofing contractor working in your town gets these details and contacts you. Nobody else does, and there is no charge and no obligation.
Roof problem in north Houston?
Tell us what is going on and where the house is. One independent roofing contractor working in your town contacts you directly. No obligation.
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