When can a roof be repaired instead of replaced?

A roof can usually be repaired when the damage is in one place and the rest of the roof still has life in it. A repair makes sense for a few damaged shingles, a leaking flashing or nails that have backed out, because the work stays in one area. It stops making sense when the problem is the roof as a whole: rotted decking, a sagging structure, too many layers, or shingles worn out everywhere.

Damage that is usually repairable

Typical jobs a roofer can do in a short visit are replacing shingles torn or punctured by windborne debris, resealing or re-nailing shingles lifted by wind, re-securing nails that have backed out, and fixing or replacing flashing around a vent pipe, chimney or skylight.

Damage like the patch above, a cluster of cracked and lifted tabs on an otherwise flat, intact roof, is the classic repair job.

Leaks around a chimney, vent pipe, skylight or wall are another common repair. As a Forest Service roofing guide puts it, "Many apparent roof leaks are really flashing leaks."^[1] Resealing or replacing the flashing at one spot often fixes the leak without touching the shingles around it.

Timing matters. On a sound roof, missing or torn shingles leave the roof open to water damage and rot, and the problem tends to spread because nearby shingles are easily ripped off or blown away.^[1] The same guide's advice is blunt: "Repair missing or torn shingles as soon as possible."^[1] A repair done in the first weeks is small; the same damage left for a season can turn into decking work.

Signs the roof needs replacing instead

Some conditions mean the old shingles have to come off, which turns a repair into a replacement:

• rotted or warped wood, or large gaps between deck boards, under the shingles;
• sagging along the ridge or between rafters, which is a structural problem to have looked at by a roofer or a structural engineer;
• shingles so uneven and distorted that new ones could not be made to lie flat;
• several layers of shingles already on the roof.

Age and spread matter as much as any single defect. When shingles become old and worn out, they curl, split and lose their waterproofing effectiveness.^[1] The same guide gives 3-tab fiberglass shingles a life of 15 to 25 years and architectural shingles 20 to 30,^[1] so a roof near the end of that range is a poor candidate for repeated patching. If you see curling and splitting across every slope, patching one spot leaves the rest still failing. "A deteriorating roof only gets worse with time."^[1]

Questions that tip the decision

Can the shingles be matched? Contractors often leave spare shingles from the original job. Without them, knowing the shingle's color name and the year the roof went on helps a roofer find a close commercial match. Even then, new shingles can look different at first because they have not weathered like the rest of the roof. A repair on a back slope matters less than one facing the street.

What is under the shingles? When water gets underneath the roofing, it can work its way to the deck and rot the roof structure.^[1] Ask the roofer to show you photos of the decking at the damaged spot. Soft or dark wood there is the line between a repair and a larger job.

How many layers are there? Ask the roofer how many layers yours has before anyone proposes shingling over the old roof, and ask your building department whether another layer is allowed.

Is a permit involved? Virginia's building code treats small roof repairs as ordinary repairs. Under the Uniform Statewide Building Code, replacing 100 square feet or less of roof covering needs no permit in any wind zone.^[2] Beyond that, an unlimited amount of roof covering can be replaced without a permit on most houses (Groups R-3, R-4 and R-5) where the nominal design wind speed is not greater than 100 miles per hour,^[2] and replacing 256 square feet or less of roof decking on those houses is exempt too, unless the decking had to be fire-retardant-treated or otherwise protected when the house was built.^[2] The building official may also require a permit for replacement roofing in a historic district a locality has designated, and for exempt work in a special flood hazard area,^[2] so check with your building department. For the full rules, see whether you need a permit to replace a roof.

Temporary fixes are not repairs

After a storm, the first job is limiting water damage inside. Virginia's Bureau of Insurance says insurers expect homeowners to protect their property from further damage and will pay the reasonable costs associated with protecting the property, and that placing tarps on the roof is a way of protecting your property from further damage.^[3] Put buckets under drips and move belongings out of the way, and leave the tarp to a roofer; it means working on the roof.

Be clear about what you are paying for. A roofer may make a temporary repair to stop water while proper materials arrive, and that is not the same as a repair. Ask in writing which one you are getting, and what the permanent fix will be.

When to call a licensed pro

Any work on the roof itself belongs to a roofer. Ask the roofer to say in writing whether they recommend repair or replacement and why, with photos of the damage and of the decking if they can see it.

In Virginia, licensing depends on the size of the job. Work valued at $1,000 or more needs a valid Virginia contractor's licence, and for roofing-only work you may want a contractor licensed in that specialty.^[4] Under the Code of Virginia, a Class C contractor can take a single job over $1,000 but less than $30,000.^[6] Check any roofer using DPOR's License Lookup or by calling (804) 367-8511,^[5] or follow how to check a contractor's licence.

If the answer turns out to be a new roof, see how to tell if you need a new roof, what a new roof costs in Virginia and what roof repair costs. Browse all exterior answers, find roof repair businesses, or see exterior contractors in Blacksburg.

Describe the damage and add photos from the ground, and licensed local roofers quote or offer to come and look.