Let's start with the short answer of how much it costs to replace a roof: unless you're wanting to upgrade your roof, it should only cost your homeowner's insurance deductible.
With that in mind, it's a really good idea to know what your deductible is while the weather is good so you aren't surprised after the weather destroys your roof. If you find out that you aren't comfortable with your coverage, you can make changes and be financially ready for the next hailstorm or bomb cyclone.
How do you choose the best roof repair company?
Trusting a contractor with your home is no small thing. The definition of trust: the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. Over the years, roofing contractors have developed a reputation that a used car salesman wouldn't envy. So how do you find someone that you can trust? Here are some things to look for:
1. Are they local?
When a big hailstorm comes through town, some roofing companies will fly people in to work the affected neighborhoods. Sometimes by just going door to door. Some scoundrels will even pose as a roofer, take people's "deposit" money and skip town. If there's an issue with your roof after its installed, you'll want to be able to call them and have them make it right. If you'd prefer to sidestep all that nonsense, go with a local roofing contractor.
2. Are they new?
Everyone has to start somewhere. We've been there. The risk in hiring a newer contractor (less than 5 years) is that they might not be around a year or two down the road when you need them.
3. Do they treat people right?
Before you allow anyone to get on your roof and certainly before you sign anything, be sure to go online and read some reviews. Notice how many reviews they have, if they have less than say 30 reviews, that's a red flag that they're new. If they have ALL 5 star reviews, that's a red flag that their reviews may be artificial.
What happens if I do nothing?
We know that having your roof totaled is not fun. Getting a new roof is a bit like getting new tires. It's never at a convenient time, its not a small amount of money, and in the end it's not all that exciting.
We also know that if homeowners don't file a claim when have damage, eventually their roof will start leaking and cause serious damage to their home. With most insurance policies, if you don't file a claim within one year from the "date of loss" (the date of the storm) your insurance won't help you with the cost and you'll have to pay for a new roof out of pocket which could be as much as $8k-20k, depending on the size of your roof.
If and when you go to sell your house and your roof is damaged, the inspector will see it. Roofs are notorious deal breakers for real estate transactions. No one wants to be forced to lower their asking price by thousands of dollars in order to sell their house.
Is a leaking roof an emergency?
YES! Water damages almost everything in a house, particularly drywall and insulation. Moisture getting into the dark spaces of your home creates the perfect conditions for mold. It's best to deal with water damage immediately, before it gets worse, destroys more of your house, and costs more to repair.
What should you do if you suspect your roof is leaking?
If you notice or suspect water damage, please don't hesitate to give HOMEfix a call (719-749-1788) so we at least come out to do a temporary patch. That leak will only get worse and do more damage over time.
Is HOMEfix the right choice?
Our hope to help our neighbors get their roof repaired for the smallest cost to them before it becomes a major issue and to make their experience as painless as possible. We've been locally owned and operated since 2007. We love the Springs and have no plans of ever leaving this beautiful city. We are blessed to say that our business is growing and therefore financially stable for the foreseeable future.
One advantage that HOMEfix has over other roofing contractors is that we're not exclusively a roofing contractor. We also do remodels and handyman work. This puts us in a unique position in that we aren't as reliant on roofing revenue as a company whose livelihood depends on it. If your roof doesn't need to be replaced, we'll let you know.
Our approach
Our approach is to do everything within our power to have our customers only pay their deductible, unless of course they want to upgrade their roof. We offer a 5 year warranty on materials and labor. We don't knock on anyone's door that didn't ask us to or isn't referred by a past customer. Here's a link to our reviews.
Upgrading your roof
Insurance is going to cover the cost to replace your existing roof, minus your deductible. Any upgrade that you make to your roof will most likely be out of pocket, but ask your insurance company if they offer any discounts for damage resistant materials.
So the question becomes: if you had the option to pay extra to never have to file a roofing claim again, would you? That's the advantage of upgrading to a class 4 roofing material. HOMEfix is one of very few roofing contractors in Colorado that is installing a brand new roofing material called F-Wave.
F-Wave Damage Resistant Shingles
F-Wave is a synthetic shingle that is hail, wind, fire, and color-fade resistant. They offer the only 5 year warranty in the business on up to class 4 hail (2"). As well as a 15 year wind warranty and a 15 year color fade warranties. It also has properties that allow it to reshape dents using the heat of the sun, seriously. You can see it in action here.
Other upgrade options
You can also upgrade for aesthetic reasons. Your roofing contractor can lay out the pros and cons of all of the options and give you an estimate for any that you're interested in.
Architectural
Architectural shingles are essentially a fancier asphalt shingle - maybe one with more depth, fancier shapes, and/or more vibrant color.
Slate
Having a slate roof installed will definitely boost your home’s curb appeal. Slate hues include various shades of green, black, purple and red. Aside from improving your home’s look, a slate roof will also last longer than other roof types. You should know that slate roofing materials tend to be quite heavy which necessitates extra framing, most likely used in conservatory roofing.
Concrete or Clay Roof Tile
Tile roofing boosts the roof’s visual appeal and add extra texture. Clay tiles are incredibly rigid and heavy, regardless of whether they are the scalloped, ribbed or genuine flat. They'll should stand the test of time with ease.
The concrete variety is more affordable, energy-efficient, and versatile compared to clay. Both varieties of home roofing material are non-combustible but they're also fairly expensive. Concrete and clay tiles require extra framing and therefore take longer to install compared to traditional shingles. If you have a Spanish, Mediterranean or Southwestern-style home, concrete or clay tiles will complement the existing aesthetic nicely.
Metal
Metal roofs tend to be quite durable. They're generally made of aluminum, stainless steel, copper, or zinc. Metal roofing allows for two environmentally conscious benefits. First, metal roofing is recyclable. Of course, you would still need to be in the house when it's being replaced to make sure that it actually gets recycled. Second, metal roofing is great for harvesting rainwater.
We hope this article was helpful
If there's ever anything that we can do to serve you, including (but not limited to) answering any questions that you might have about your roof, please let us know. If you'd like to schedule a free roof inspection with no strings attached, give us a call at (719) 749-1788 or you can go here to request an inspection.
Have a great day today and God bless!
