Why Patch-Fixing Your Roof Will Be More Costly in the Long-Run
We know how it sounds: patch fixing a little leak in your roof is much less expensive than a full roof replacement. While this is true, it’s only going to hold your roof over for so long before more issues arise. The best way to truly rid your roof of leaks and other issues is to fix the root issue, not cover up the symptoms.
The Danger of Roof Patch-Jobs
If your roof has a leak with no obvious visual damage, it most likely means that it is close to or already has exceeded its roof life. When you notice issues with your roof, a company will normally start inspecting the main obvious location or best assessed issued to see if that corrects the issue temporarily until the roof ultimately gets replaced. If there is still a leak after a patch job was completed, either…
A) There is still another area of concern causing the leak
B) There was more than one leak to begin with
C) Another leak has occurred
… and a version of this cycle will continue until you have a full roof replacement performed. For these reasons, patch jobs do not come with a warranty. However, any roof replacement will guarantee a customer warranty on their roof.
Conversely, if a homeowner is dealing with a leak in their siding because it is falling off, or there are soffit and fascia issues, those are clear signs that the siding has endured installation issues or it is getting old and needs to be replaced. In cases like these, some companies will try to caulk along areas of leaks or gaps for a temporary fix.
A roof may need multiple different patch jobs done to stop leaks if it is nearing or past its roof life until it is replaced, when it would have been better to have it replaced from the get-go.
No patch job is ever guaranteed to permanently fix a leak issue, nor is it guaranteed that another leak won’t start somewhere else down the road, or that there was not another issue from the start of the same leak.
The Bottom Line: Replace the Whole Roof
When you pay for continual patch jobs to hold your roof over until a full roof replacement, you will have spent the same amount (the cost of the roof replacement) plus all the money on patch jobs that could have been replaced immediately and saved you the time spent worrying if the patch job will stop more issues and the money that has now proven to be unhelpful in the long run.
If you’ve already had patch fixes performed on your roof, that’s okay! Just be sure to call in a professional to identify the root of the issue and take the necessary steps to ensure it’s fully fixed.
Exteriors of Lansing does not perform patch jobs, but we do perform full roof replacements.