Do I need a new roof?

A roof does not fail because it hit a birthday. It fails at the edges, the valleys, the flashings, and the places water sits. A 25-year-old roof with sound flashings and intact field may have years of service left. A 12-year-old roof with failed valley metal and a compromised penetration may need attention now.

The field — the broad flat expanse visible from the street — is usually the last place to go. What fails first is the detail work: the step flashing where the roof meets a wall, the counter-flashing at a chimney, the boot around a pipe, the drip edge at the eave. These are the places that hold water, flex with temperature, and take the most abuse from debris.

Granule loss on asphalt shingles is worth understanding before drawing conclusions. Some granule loss is normal weathering. Accelerated loss — bare patches, granules collecting in gutters in volume — is a different signal. The question is whether the loss is uniform and gradual or concentrated and rapid.

A repair is appropriate when the damage is localised and the surrounding system is sound. Replacing a section of failed flashing, a course of split shakes, or a handful of cracked tiles is not a compromise — it is the right answer when the rest of the roof is performing. Replacement makes sense when the system is broadly degraded, when the underlayment is no longer doing its job, or when the cost of continued repairs approaches the cost of starting fresh.

Crown Eagle does not walk up with a replacement already decided. Preserve, repair, or replace follows what is actually there. The first visit is a look — not a contract, not a verdict on your insurance, and not a commitment to any particular outcome.