“We’re looking at buying a house in the Plymouth area,” Avi said. “It’s a lovely home, but the roof is ten years old. I want to know how long I can expect an asphalt shingle roof to last. If I have to put a new roof on in the next three to five years, the numbers are just not going to work.”
The expected useful life of an asphalt shingle roof can vary based on a number of factors, including the quality of the original roof installation, the type of shingles used, and the weather conditions the roof has been exposed to. As you know, Western Massachusetts has been experiencing increasingly intense weather conditions, including extremely cold and snowy winters followed by dry, hot summers. Prior to any home purchase, it is a good best practice to have a Plymouth roofing contractor perform a thorough inspection of the roof. This objective assessment can help you determine if you want to commit to the home purchase.
Low grade three-tab asphalt shingles can have a life expectancy of only 15 years. As the quality of the shingles improves, so does the expected useful life. Better asphalt shingles can last up to thirty years. Your Plymouth roofing contractor will be able to provide you with an informed estimate of your roof’s remaining useful life based on its current condition. They will also be able to provide you with an estimate based on current roof replacement costs, so you can take these budgetary concerns into account when making your purchasing decisions.
“In our case, it turned out that as long as we don’t have any truly severe weather events, the roof on the house should serve us well for at least another decade,” Avi said. “Coupled with what we found out about the home’s septic system – my other area of concern – I felt confident in moving forward with the purchase. I strongly recommend that anyone who has the type of questions I had consult with their Plymouth roofing contractor.”