Guide
Signs your roof is finished
Most roofs give you two or three years of warning. The trouble is that the warnings are easy to explain away one at a time.
Get it looked at
Three questions, and up to three Lynwood contractors. Free either way.
You are on the list.
No provider in Lynwood is taking requests through this service yet. We are lining them up, and yours is kept until one can.
- Nobody gets your details yet. Your request stays with us and is not passed to any company.
- One email when someone can help. When a provider covering your area can take it on, we email you once and ask whether you want that company, by name, to contact you.
- Deleted after 90 days. If nobody can take it on, or you do not say yes, your contact details are deleted 90 days after your request.
- You decide, or you do not. There is nothing to cancel and nothing to pay us.
Nobody will call you about this request unless you say yes to a company by name.
Daylight or damp in the attic
The attic tells the truth earlier than the ceiling does. Staining on the underside of the deck predates any stain you will see downstairs by a long way.
Repeated repairs in different places
One leak is an event. Three leaks in three different areas inside two years is a pattern, and the pattern means the covering has reached the end of its service life rather than suffered a specific failure.
Shingles that curl, cup or go brittle
Look along the roof from the ground at a low angle rather than straight on. Edges that lift, corners that curl upward and a surface that no longer lies flat all mean the material has lost its flexibility. Brittle shingles crack when walked on, which is why contractors stop wanting to walk them.
The age on the paperwork
Age alone is not a reason to replace. Age plus any one of the symptoms above usually is.
Granules in the gutter
Asphalt shingles are protected by a granular surface. When that surface starts washing off in quantity, the mat underneath is exposed to ultraviolet and the clock speeds up sharply. A handful of granules after a new roof is normal shedding. Cupfuls, years later, is not.
Sagging along a line
A ridge or a plane that dips is a structural signal rather than a covering one. It usually means decking that has been wet long enough to lose strength, and occasionally framing. This is the one symptom that should not wait.
In short
None of these on their own settles it. Two together usually do. An inspection costs little and removes the guesswork entirely.
Related questions
How much deposit is normal?
Ten to thirty per cent is ordinary, and is often used to order material. A demand for full payment up front is a reason to walk away.
Should I take the cheapest quote?
Not automatically. Put the quotes side by side on layers, not on totals — underlayment, ice-and-water, drip edge, valley treatment, ventilation, decking allowance, warranty. Cheap usually means less of those, not the same roof for less money.
Do you handle commercial buildings?
Yes. Commercial requests go to contractors who do low-slope and flat systems rather than to residential crews. Say so on the property question and it routes correctly.