Is there an issue with your roof? Whatever it might be, you always have a question to answer: Should you do a roof repair or a roof renovation? A roof repair is an isolated repair to a particular issue in your roof e.g. a missing tile. A roof renovation is a more involved process where you replace a substantial portion or all of your roofing material. There are benefits to both but before determining what you want, there are a number of things you need to consider.
What is the lifespan of a roof?
To start with, you need to work out the age of your roof and what its expected lifespan is. The average lifespan for a roof is anywhere between 20 to 35 years for roofing materials such as roofing felt (bitumen), glass fibre or EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer), depending on the quality of the materials and the consistency of roof maintenance over the years.
In general, pitched roofs will enjoy a longer lifespan thanks to their ability to lead water away and a sloped roof with tiles can offer good protection and an increased lifespan. For a home with roof tiles, you can enjoy an increased estimated lifespan when compared to alternatives. This would be around 60 to 80 years for concrete tiles, while clay and natural slate can provide 80 to 100 years' worth of cover, if properly maintained and looked after.
There are lots of different signs to look out for that will help you identify that your roof is reaching the end of its life:
- Shingles curling, balding or just missing
- Roof sagging
- An increase of moss
- Granules in the gutter
You need to be aware of all of these, but then consider, does it make more sense to complete a roof repair or to undertake a complete roof renovation?
Should I do a roof repair or roof renovation?
Naturally, the lifetime of your roof will depend on how it’s been looked after. As a central part of your home, a roof should be cared for, but issues can occur. So, what should you do if you encounter one? A roof repair or a full roof renovation? Your answer will depend on a few factors.
Price is always a factor when it comes to considering whether you want to have a roof repair or roof renovation. While on the surface, there is no doubt that a roof repair will be cost-effective in the short run, you also need to consider the long-term impacts too.
A roof repair will help to extend the life of an older roof and help you to at least buy some time before you need to go through with a roof renovation.
However, if you are planning on staying in your current home, then a better long-term plan is to undertake a roof renovation, especially if you are consistently replacing an old tile or roof membrane, as there is likely to be an underlying issue with your existing roof, and it’s a sure sign that your roof will continue to have issues with water ingress over the next few years, meaning that it’ll need more regular repairs.
Repairs are considerably easier to manage for a pitched roof as specific tiles can be easily swapped in and out, however, for flat roofs, it’s more difficult as the leakage could impair the new joints since new material is being stuck onto old worn-down parts of the roof.
With all of this in mind, we recommend that if you’re seeing water ingress in a flat roof, then a full roof renovation should be completed. Even what appears to be a simple roof repair could easily hit four figures, while a full roof replacement on a flat roof of around 10m2 can be around £2500 - the cost of just one or two roof repairs. Of course, with a full roof renovation, there are numerous things that you need to avoid, but it will give you a chance to evaluate and assess your home.
A full roof renovation will also allow you to review and understand what your home does and doesn’t provide. With a full roof renovation, you have a chance to make an impactful change and consider how daylight and fresh air can be better used to improve the environment inside for you and your family.
Include your dream daylight solution in your roof renovation or repair
There is no substitute for natural daylight. So, when it comes to a roof renovation, you have a wonderful opportunity to fundamentally change the look and feel of your home, providing it with sunlight that adds colour and life all year round.
It makes sense to add a rooflight at the same time as a roof renovation as if you attempt to do them separately the costs quickly add up. This is because you’d only pay the additional cost of the actual rooflight, rather than a second set of fees for labour and the safe removal and installation of roofing materials. Installing one, two or more rooflights during a roof renovation just makes sense, as it’ll save money in the long run as you won’t have to start from scratch again. It will also mean that the lifespan of both the rooflight windows and roof itself will line up, so you won’t have to replace one before the other in decades to come.
If you think this would be a good fit for your home, then why not reach out and talk to our experts. A Vario by VELUX rooflight will transform your living space, delivering both daylight and fresh air, giving your home a more natural feel and a roof renovation is the perfect time for installation.
For sloped roofs, you have the flexibility to repair broken tiles where appropriate and ask a builder to create additional space for a rooflight to fit in, allowing daylight and fresh air to flow into your home from above. No matter what roof type you have, you can enjoy the pleasures of a rooflight.
Speak to a Daylight Expert about your roof repair or roof renovation today
For more information on how to incorporate a wonderful rooflight into your roof repair or roof renovation project, contact us today and speak to one of our Daylight Experts. Our skilled team can help you to discuss your roof solution options, create 3D visual daylight solutions and coordinate all work with trusted roofing partners. Contact Vario by VELUX today and let us help you to move closer to incorporating a rooflight into your roof repair or roof renovation project.
