Roof repair or replace? The 5 numbers that decide it

Roofers have an incentive to say "replace." You have an incentive to say "repair." The actual answer is usually obvious once you look at five things, and you can check all of them from the ground and the attic without setting foot on the shingles.

1. Age vs. expected life

Find the install date — a permit record, the previous owner's disclosure, or the roofer's sticker inside the attic hatch. Then compare:

| Roofing material | Expected life | Replace if older than | |---|---|---| | 3-tab asphalt shingle | 15–20 yrs | 15 | | Architectural asphalt shingle | 25–30 yrs | 22 | | Wood shake | 25–35 yrs | 25 | | Standing-seam metal | 40–60 yrs | 40 | | Concrete or clay tile | 50+ yrs | Underlayment at 25–30 | | Slate | 75–100+ yrs | Flashing, rarely the slate |

A leak on a 9-year-old architectural roof is a repair. A leak on a 19-year-old 3-tab roof is the first of many. Repairing the second one is paying twice.

2. How much of the roof is affected

Walk the perimeter from the ground with binoculars, then check the attic for daylight and water stains.

• One spot, one cause (a boot, a flashing, a tree-limb hit): repair.
• Damage on one plane or one side (hail on the south face, wind on the west): sometimes a partial replacement of that slope, $2,000–$6,000.
• Curling, cupping, or missing shingles scattered across the whole roof: replace. That's the material failing, not an event.

Rule of thumb from roofers who aren't selling: if more than about 30% of the roof needs work, replacement is cheaper per year of life than patching.

3. Granule loss

Asphalt shingles shed their protective granules as they age. Check the gutters and the splash zone under downspouts. A handful of sand-like grit after a storm is normal. Gutters full of granules, or bald black patches on the shingles, means the asphalt is exposed to UV and the roof is in its last two or three years regardless of whether it leaks today.

4. How many layers are up there

Look at the edge of the roof at the eave or at a vent penetration. Count the shingle edges. Many homes have a second layer nailed over the first to save tear-off cost. Two layers is the code maximum almost everywhere; a roof with two layers cannot be repaired by adding more and cannot have a third layer installed — it must be torn off. That adds $1,000–$3,000 to a replacement and removes the "cheap overlay" option entirely.

5. What insurance will pay for

Homeowner's insurance covers sudden events — hail, wind, a fallen tree. It does not cover wear. If your roof is damaged by a storm, a claim may cover full replacement minus your deductible, even on an older roof (check whether your policy is replacement-cost or actual-cash-value; ACV policies depreciate an old roof heavily). If the roof is simply old and leaking, you're paying out of pocket, and that changes the math toward repairing until you can budget the replacement.

Have a roofer inspect before you call the insurer. A written report with photos of hail bruising or wind creasing is what gets claims approved.

What the numbers look like in 2026

| Job | Typical cost | |---|---| | Spot repair (boot, flashing, few shingles) | $400–$1,500 | | Partial slope replacement | $2,000–$6,000 | | Full replacement, architectural asphalt, 2,000 sq ft home | $9,000–$16,000 | | Full replacement with tear-off of two layers | +$1,000–$3,000 | | Standing-seam metal replacement | $18,000–$35,000 | | New decking where rotted | +$70–$120 per sheet |

Three quotes are mandatory on a replacement. On the same house, bids routinely spread $5,000 or more, and the cheapest one is often omitting ice-and-water shield, drip edge, or proper ventilation. Ask every bidder to itemize those three.

The decision in one line

Under 60% of expected life, one localized problem, insurance isn't involved → repair. Past 75% of expected life, scattered problems, or granule loss → replace, and do it before it leaks into your insulation. In between, repair now and start saving; most roofs give you a couple of years of warning.

When to call a pro

A roof replacement is not a homeowner project. It's a crew of four, a dumpster, a permit, and a one- or two-day window where your house is open to the weather. Repairs are DIY-possible only on a dry, low-slope, single-story roof — if that's not your house, every item on this page is a hire.

Get at least three bids through the Find a Pro page, confirm each roofer carries general liability and workers' comp (ask for the certificate — a crew member falling off your roof uninsured becomes your problem), and never pay more than a third up front.