How can you tell if your roof needs repair?
Short answer. A roof needs repair when you see water stains or drips inside, damp or stained decking in the attic, missing, creased or lifted shingles, cracked pipe boots, loose or tarred-over flashing, or granules and debris washing out of the gutters after a storm. If those problems are spread across the roof rather than in one spot, or the roof is near the end of its life, it may need replacement instead.
Inside the house
- Brown rings or bubbling paint on ceilings, especially near bathrooms, chimneys and skylights.
- Peeling paint or damp drywall high on walls below roof and wall intersections.
- Musty odors in upstairs rooms or closets.
In the attic
- Dark stains or wet spots on decking and rafters.
- Rusty nail tips and wet or matted insulation.
- Daylight around pipes, chimneys or vents.
- Decking sagging between rafters.
From the yard, with binoculars
- Missing shingles, creased or lifted tabs, or shingles in the yard after wind.
- Cracked rubber collars on pipe boots.
- Flashing covered in tar, lifted at chimneys or walls, or no kickout where a roof edge meets a wall.
- Debris piled in valleys or behind chimneys.
- Popped or exposed nail heads.
- A sagging roofline or wavy decking.
After storms
- Dents on gutters, downspouts, vents and other soft metal after hail.
- Granules in the gutters or at downspout outlets.
- Broken limbs on or near the roof.
Hail history for your zip code is free at the North Georgia Hail Map.
Repair or replace?
One failed boot or flashing detail on a roof with life left is a repair. Widespread granule loss, curling, brittle shingles, or damage on several slopes points to replacement, possibly through insurance if a storm caused it. See signs you need a new roof and what to expect in a roof inspection.