Spring is here, and now that the snow has melted, you may notice that there are some missing shingles on your roof.
Or maybe you can see a vent near the ridge of your roof that has been dented, as sometimes occurs when people have their roofs shoveled in the winter to prevent ice dams.
In either case, the integrity of your roof hasn’t necessarily been compromised.
Yes, you want to replace the missing shingles or the dented vents on your roof, but you do NOT have to run out and begin collecting estimates for a full replacement.
Often, a simple repair is all that is necessary.
“We get a lot of questions from homeowners who are wondering when it is a good time to replace their roof,” says Guy Grussing, owner of Grussing Roofing, a roofing company in Eden Prairie that has been in business for 52 years.
“The lifespan of a roof is typically around 15-20 years if it hasn’t been impacted by hail damage or severe wind, but that doesn’t mean that the roof won’t ever need repairs during that period of time.”
Unfortunately, not all roofing companies follow the same mantra, and some contractors will even try to sell homeowners a roof replacement, even if the roofing system is only a decade old and/or a few shingles have blown off.
“I’ve even heard of other roofing contractors who have tried to convince people with 5-7 year old roofs that they should replace the roof because one of the shingles had fallen into their front yard,” says Grussing.
“Not only is that crazy, but it’s wrong. Just because a shingle has blown off doesn’t mean the whole roof needs to be replaced, and often a simple roof repair is more than sufficient.”
For homeowners who have missing shingles or other issues going on with their roof, Grussing recommends calling a reputable roofing contractor to come out and assess the situation in order to determine an appropriate course of action.
Grussing also says that sometimes a roof does indeed need to be replaced, especially if it is over 20 years old, or has been clearly affected by hail damage.
“A lot of the roofs that we replace are in that 15-20 year mark, but we do replace roofs that are between 9-12 years old if they have been impacted by hail damage,” Grussing shares.
Still, the only surefire way that homeowners can accurately gauge the state of their roof is to have a roofing contractor come out and take a look at the roof, which is why it is important that homeowners call a company they trust.
“When a homeowner calls us out for a potential repair, my guys don’t go out to try to sell a roof. They are trained to assess whether a repair can be done, and only if the roof is not fixable do they transition toward discussing a complete roof replacement,” Grussing explains.
“This is our approach because our goal is to service the homeowner in the best way possible, and if that means only replacing a few shingles or a couple vents, that’s just fine with us because we value building a relationship with our clients over extracting as much money as possible from each job.”
Grussing’s customer-first strategy not only helps him win roofing jobs in the short-term, but his approach also has long-term benefits.
“By doing roof repairs, this uniquely positions us to be able to help homeowners years later, when perhaps they do need to replace their entire roof because it is old or has been affected by hail damage,” Grussing says.
Why other roofing contractors don’t emulate this method has befuddled Grussing ever since he inherited the company from his father back in 2009, even if he can see why some roofers don’t want to take on smaller jobs.
“I’ve repeated this a lot over the years, but a lot of roofing contractors, particularly if they’ve only been in business for a couple years, are only looking for big-ticket items like replacing the entire roof or siding,” Grussing says.
“From a purely financial perspective, I can see why roofing contractors only want to do full replacements, but abiding by that mentality is not always beneficial to the homeowner. Again, just because a couple shingles have blown off on a 10-year old roof doesn’t mean that the homeowner should replace everything.”
Therefore, if you’re a homeowner who is looking for roof repairs, without the pressure of being convinced to replace your entire roof, Grussing Roofing is one contractor you can call.
“We are happy to come out to your home, assess the situation, and then come up with a plan for how we can solve whatever issues you are having,” Grussing says.
“Repairs are ultimately more budget-friendly than replacing an entire roof, and so if we can keep the scope of work to just doing repairs, that’s what we will do because that is what is in the best interests of our clients.” QS
If you have any questions about roof repairs or anything home exterior related, please call Grussing Roofing today at 952-935-0557 to schedule a free consultation!