5 Facts About Roofing
Being a homeowner is not always easy. One of the biggest decisions you will face is how to best look after your roof. Choosing whether to patch an old roof or replace it with a new roof can be agonising. Here are 5 facts to help you decide on a solution.
Fact 1: Your roof seems invisible until it isn’t working
It’s easy to ignore a roof – it’s out of sight and out of mind, just doing its job of protecting your home from the elements. Then one day it isn’t doing its job and leaks start. That’s when the roof has your full attention. That’s when you might have no choice but to take action, no matter whether your bank balance is happy about it or not.
Fact 2: Both repair and replace will cost you money.
But the big question is – how much money? A replacement roof for an older home (let’s say about 150 square metres) might cost around $20,000. Yet repairs can soon add up to a sizeable bill as well, especially when both repair and replace options need the same health and safety components, such as $2,500-$3,000 of scaffolding and height protection. In some examples we’ve costed, patching a roof reached half the price of a completely new one.
Fact 4: Roofing will get more expensive in the future.
We are still in the period when the simple roof designs of small, single-story bungalows of the 1950-60s are needing their roof replaced. When the roofs of modern, more complicated, larger homes start wearing out, replacing them might push costs to $40-$80,000. That’s when the true cost of maintaining a home will become apparent and simpler buildings with lower maintenance costs might become more desirable.
Fact 5: Roof colour is not a big deal.
It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the colour options for roofs today. But if you start to notice roof colours, you’ll see most of them fall into three tones: grey, brown and green. What we find is that no matter whether you agonise over the choice or make a swift decision, within weeks of the new roof going on, you’ve forgotten about the different colour options. Your choice ends up being just fine.
If you are pondering the patch-or-replace roofing dilemma, we are a phone call away. With over 20 years’ experience of roofing Christchurch homes properly, we love discussing how best to look after your whole roof.
Iain McPhail
Founder/Director
Licensed Building Practitioner
3 Ways Your Roof Sells Your House
1. When a potential buyer walks up to your house and sees a roof in poor condition, it sends a message that you haven’t looked after other parts of the property as well. Not a good start.
2. A new roof makes your house more saleable by presenting your house as more attractive compared with similar homes in the area. And if two or more bidders compete for the purchase, then the investment you make in a new roof could be easily recovered (or more!).
3. If the conditional purchaser gets a building report is done (which is the norm, these days) and it recommends roof repairs or replacement, the purchaser is likely to negotiate a lower price. Which could even prompt them to walk away from the deal.