How Old Is My Roof?

The average home buyer tenure is 4 to 9 years, which means over 25 years, a home could change ownership up to six times with a minimum of three times. With that type of turnover, institutional knowledge can get lost quickly. 

One piece of data that is easy to misplace is information on when the last time your home had a roof installation.

The first thing to remember is that a roof’s age is not easily revealed. So even if you are a roofing professional and use a legitimately scientific estimation method for guessing roof ages, you are still guessing.

You can do a few things to guess the age within a reasonable margin, even if you are not a roofing contractor.

Act as Your Own Home Inspector

You are not a roofing expert, but you can notice symptoms that you need a new roof or can get by with repairs without affecting the resale value or curb appeal. The damage your roof takes or any may make establishing how old your roof is unimportant. Weather is forever beating roofs, and your roof is in constant war with sun, rain, snow, ice, wind, storms, etc.

The damage weather can cause that will change a home’s status from “ship shape” to “needs work” includes but is not limited to:

• Damaged roof valleys and a buildup of roof moss
• Rusted flashing or damaged flashing
• Water damage inside the house and externally
• Asphalt shingles with missing granules
• Loose shingles with often toxic molds living underneath

Each of those symptoms is readily observable. Here is a list of other roof issues:

Degraded Shingles

Look for faded, chipped, cracked, curling, missing, or loose shingles and blow debris that caused damage. A roof with those may need replacement regardless of age but does indicate an older roof.

Rust

Metal roofs of a certain age will rust at the edges and show rust stains around the nail or staple holes. Rust or rust stains in those places mean the roof is older.

Leaks

Any leaks inside mean your roof has been on the house for a while. The degree of leaking will help you decide to repair or replace it.

How To Determine the Age of Your Roof

There are several methods you can use to get to the bottom of the age of your roof.

Ask the Seller

It is recommended you have a professional take a look at your potential new house. After your inspection:

Ask the seller if they used a roofer, got their building permit, and the dates of their last roof work. If they are unsure, ask if they can give you at least the dates they think roof work might have happened. In addition, ask for a roofing company receipt if they had work done and if they have any prior inspection documentation.

If they got their permit, ask for a copy. See if the last replacement affected the resale value of the homes nearby. Try and establish if they were the type to maintain the property properly or if they let things go across the board.

Ask the Realtor

The realtor may have sold the house to the person selling it now. They can also:

• Access county records and gets an estimate on how old your roof is.
• Perform a previous owner’s check.
• Have a roof specialist look at the building if you have not bought it, and guess the age of your roof in question.
• Get other data alongside records for inspections that can shed light on the issues.

Look for Permits

Visit your federal and local government offices and look for any applicable building permit for that property. Be sure to scrutinize all work done on any man-made structures on your property, as some municipalities will issue work for several buildings or tasks on the same permit. Any permitted work will:

• Answer the question of “how old is my roof” once and for all.
• Identify the company that did the work.
• Establish the following: Whether they were a local contractor, the project beginning date, or whether an inspector verified insurance and code compliance.
• Document if the roof inspector found problems and if they remedied the issues.
• Document if work was done for an aging roof or roof repair by any previous owners.

There will also be documentation and records alongside building permits that can tell you:

• Whether it was new construction
• The roofing material used to replace your roof
• Existing domicile modification
• Whether the work was for roof replacement or just repair

If you are having an issue finding any permits, ask to see the history of property assessments and property taxes paid on your house by previous owners. A sudden jump of more than a percentage point or two may indicate a significant improvement, like a new roof, was made to the property. 

Ask the Neighbors

Your immediate neighbors may remember when the previous owner did roof work on your house. Ask your neighbors in every direction and consider expanding one or two properties beyond that. The neighbors may not remember the exact date or year, but they can help narrow it down.

Ask A Roofer

Most roofing companies are almost always looking for new work, so if you make a few calls, you may get lucky. Contacting roofers in your area serves three purposes.

• Get any roof inspection reports associated with any work the company did
• Alongside inspection records for that particular house, you can get access to any other related documentation of any modification or replacement activities
• Get an assessment of the roofer’s opinion of the roof on your house
• Start to review and rule out vendors for when you have roof work done

Contact Home Inspectors

A home may have had an inspection, or you might be planning one to ensure you get the best deal possible. Home inspectors usually have impeccable records that they can retrieve quickly. Contact your area’s building inspectors and home inspectors and ask them if they or their company ever did a home inspection on your property.

Get An Age Assessment

Get several age estimates from local roofers. They will know if your roof is aged or if local weather conditions are harsh on roofs. In either scenario, getting multiple estimates will also let you start to build a rapport with a vendor you may eventually be doing business with.

Final Thoughts

Guessing the age of a roof might be fun for roofers but not for homeowners. However, knowing your home’s age can help you make improvements or avoid unnecessary expenditures. No matter, once you know, you can sleep more soundly once you can decide what you need or want to do.