3 Costly Consequences When You Wait to Replace Your Roof

Home and building owners who wait to replace their roofing systems may suffer adverse consequences. It is also common that people neglect their roofs for too long to save money or because it’s one of the last priorities on their long lists of things to maintain.

The problem with this tactic is that both business and homeowners can miss what’s actually happening during this delay, or downplay its significance.

When you wait too long to repair your roof or don’t maintain it correctly, there are always consequences.

3 Costly Consequences of Delaying Roof Repair

Let’s look at three of the significant implications of this decision.

Leaks, Mold, and Pests

All of these problems come from the same source: a failure in your roof’s structure leading to water penetration and more.

Leaks in your roof that seem like a small matter will become a big deal over time. Once a leak starts, it won’t get smaller or plug itself; it’ll get bigger and bigger to allow in more and more water.

When water gets inside, it leads to more problems with the structure of your roof. Ultimately, water causes problems with the structure of your building or home.

When water finds a way through your roof once, it tends to follow the path of least resistance. Unless it is stopped, and repairs are made, the structure of your building can get soaked, and mold can proliferate.

Did you know that mold can start growing in the right conditions in as little as 24 hours?

Likewise, if holes in your roof go unrepaired, they become invitations for pests to invade – mice, birds and other rodents can fit into surprisingly small holes and invade your building or home in short order.

Increased Bills

There are two ways in which failing to maintain, repair or replace your roof can cost you more money.

The first is that your energy costs will increase. For example, all those holes that water and pests can get into? They also allow your precious heated or cooled air out. A little bit of leakage might not seem like much. However, as leaks increase in size and number – and they will if left too long – this loss adds up over time.

The other way in which waiting too long can cost you more money is in having to repair all the damage done during the time when your roof wasn’t performing adequately.

You may have roof decking to replace, pests to remove, walls and beams to clean, or even a crumbling structure to fix. Repairs on a crumbling or unsafe roof structure cost more.

In addition, there is more liability for your roofing contractor, more labor cost, and more cost in materials as well.

In more extreme cases, you could be endangering the lives of everyone under your roof. You may end up having to shut down home or business operations entirely during an extensive renovation.

Decreased Property Value

What does all this add up to in the end?

Not only will you pay more to fix or replace a roof you have waited too long to fix, but you will be left having to explain to future buyers why there are stains on their ceilings or in the attic.

Worse yet, your home or business building could be tested positive for mold. Buyers may simply walk away, or they may demand extensive remediation, causing you to lose any profit you might have gained on the sale.

Takeaway

The adverse consequences caused by waiting to replace your roof are why we advise clients to maintain their roofs properly. Whether you own a home or a business or both, it is critical to replace a failing roof promptly before more significant problems set in.

If you have any questions or concerns about your residential or commercial roof in Southeast Michigan, please contact us. We would be honored to help!

Call today!