The 10 signs (in order of urgency)
1. You can see daylight through the roof from your attic
If you can see sunlight coming through the roof deck while you’re standing in the attic, you have a serious problem. This usually means missing flashing, gaps where shingles have lifted, or significant deck damage. Get a contractor up there immediately.
2. Shingles are curling, cupping, or buckling
Look at your roof from the ground using binoculars or your phone’s zoom. Healthy shingles lay flat. If they’re curling at the edges or pulling away from the deck, the asphalt is dried out and the protective oils have leached out. The roof is at end of life. Replacement is the right call.
3. Significant granule loss in your gutters
Walk down to your downspouts and look at the splash blocks. If you see a lot of dark sandy material that looks like coarse sandpaper grit, that’s shingle granules. Asphalt shingles lose granules slowly over their life, but heavy loss in a short period means the protective layer is gone. UV will degrade the asphalt rapidly after that.
4. Bald spots or shiny patches on shingles
Where granules have worn off, you’ll see bare asphalt with a slight sheen. These spots are the first to fail. A few small spots can be repaired. Widespread bald patches mean the roof is done.
5. The roof is 25+ years old (asphalt) or 50+ years old (slate/tile)
Even with no visible damage, asphalt shingles past 25 years are statistically likely to fail soon. Plan for replacement before the failure happens, especially if you’re selling the home in the next 3 years — an old roof is one of the top issues that kills purchase agreements.
6. Sagging roof line
Stand at the curb and look at the line of your roof. It should be straight. Any sagging visible to the naked eye means structural deterioration of the deck or rafters — not just a shingle problem. This needs urgent professional inspection.
7. Stains on interior ceilings
Yellow or brown circular stains, especially after a heavy rain, indicate active leaks. Sometimes these are repairable; if there are multiple stains across multiple rooms, the roof is failing in multiple places and replacement is usually the right answer.
8. Mold or moss growing on the roof
Some moss is cosmetic. Heavy moss growth means moisture is being trapped under shingles, which accelerates deterioration. Algae streaks (the dark stripes you sometimes see on roofs) are mostly cosmetic but indicate the roof is damp longer than it should be.
9. Higher-than-normal energy bills
If your AC and heat bills have crept up year over year for no obvious reason, your attic insulation might be wet from a slowly-leaking roof. The compression of wet insulation reduces R-value, and your HVAC works harder. The roof is the hidden cause.
10. Neighbors are getting new roofs
If multiple neighbors with similar-age homes are replacing their roofs, your roof is probably the same age and within the same failure window. This is especially true after a hail or wind event — if your subdivision was hit, your roof was hit.
Repair vs replace decision tree
If you have 1-2 isolated issues on a roof that’s less than 18 years old, repair makes sense. Cost: $300-$2,000.
If you have 3+ issues from this list, or any one issue covering more than 25% of the roof, replacement is the smarter long-term investment. Patching individual problems on a failing roof is throwing money away.
The honest answer requires a roof inspection. Schedule a free assessment › and we’ll tell you straight whether your roof needs work.