Roof Repair Or Replacement In St. Louis, at a glance
A roof under fifteen years old with damage in one area is almost always a repair, and a roof past twenty that sheds granules and cracks when a shingle is lifted is almost always a replacement. Everything in between needs a look. The inspection is free. Call (314) 429-6000.
Start with the age of the roof
Age does not decide it on its own, but it sets the odds.
A three tab shingle roof in the St. Louis climate generally gives fifteen to twenty years of real service. Architectural shingles do better, often into the mid twenties. Both numbers drop when the attic is badly ventilated or the roof takes afternoon sun with no shade.
If you do not know the age, check the closing documents from when you bought the house, look for a permit record with the municipality, or ask the neighbors, because subdivision streets were usually reroofed in waves after the same storms. Age matters most against the money: a meaningful sum on a roof with three years left is rarely worth it, and a small sum on a roof with ten years left almost always is.
Then look at how the damage is spread
Damage in one place is a repair. A tree limb took out a section, a valley failed, a pipe boot split. The rest of the roof is doing its job and there is no reason to tear it off.
Damage on every slope is a replacement. Hail that bruised the whole roof, granule loss across the field, curling on multiple elevations. Repairing one slope at a time there means paying a crew to mobilize repeatedly for a worse result. The middle case, two damaged slopes on a fifteen year old roof, is where an honest contractor shows you both prices and lets you choose.
Signs that point to replacement
Any two of these together usually mean the roof is at the end rather than in need of a repair.
- Granules filling the gutters and collecting at the bottom of the downspouts
- Shingle tabs that crack rather than flex when they are lifted on a warm day
- Curling or cupping edges visible on more than one elevation
- Bald patches where the asphalt mat is exposed and shiny
- Decking that feels soft underfoot or shows daylight or staining from inside the attic
- A roof at or past the service life of the shingle that was installed
Repair or replace, side by side
| Best case for repair | Roof under fifteen years, damage in one area, shingle still flexible |
|---|---|
| Best case for replacement | Roof past twenty years, damage across slopes, brittle or balding shingle |
| What a repair buys | Years, not decades, and no change to the roof's overall age |
| What a replacement buys | A new service life, new underlayment and flashing, corrected ventilation |
| Insurance | Storm damage may fund a replacement, wear and age will not |
| Either way | Free inspection, photographs, and a written price with no obligation |
Where insurance changes the math
If a storm caused the damage, the question is not only what the roof needs but what the policy covers. Hail and wind damage are generally covered. Age and wear are generally not.
What does change outcomes is documentation: dated photographs by slope, the storm record for the address, and a scope written against what is actually on the roof. We put that file together at the free inspection and hand it to you whether you file or not. If you do file, we meet the adjuster on the roof, and scope disagreements get resolved with evidence rather than volume.
Read more before you decide
The detail behind each of these lives on its own page.
What replacement costs
How St. Louis replacement is priced and what moves the number.
What an inspection covers
What we look at and what you get in writing.
St. Louis roof repair
The repairs we make most often, and when a repair is the right answer.
If a claim was denied
What a denial turns on and what evidence supports another look.
Ventilation
Why the attic decides how long your next roof lasts.
Financing
Options when a replacement lands at an inconvenient time.
Repair or replacement questions
Can I just replace one slope?
Sometimes, usually after a tree strike or a wind event on one elevation. A new slope will not match a weathered one exactly, and the rest of the roof keeps aging on its original schedule.
Is it worth repairing a roof that is eighteen years old?
It depends on what the shingle does when we handle it. Flexible shingle with damage in one place is worth repairing at that age. Brittle shingle that cracks when lifted is not, because every repair creates new damage around itself.
Can you put new shingles over the old ones?
It is possible on some roofs and we do not recommend it. Going over the top hides the decking, adds weight and traps heat. Tear off is the only way to see what you are building on.
How long does a replacement take?
Most St. Louis houses are one day. Complicated roof lines can run to two, and we tell you which before scheduling.
Will you tell me if I do not need anything?
Yes, and it happens regularly. A report saying the roof has years left, with photographs and a note on what to watch, is a good outcome for an inspection.
Get a straight answer on your roof
Send this and we will come look, photograph what is there, and put the recommendation in writing.
Where we do this work
Repairs and replacements across the metro:
Not Sure Which One You Need?
One free inspection replaces a week of guessing. Photos of the real condition and a written price for both options where both are real.