7 Signs You Need a New Roof Before Winter

Oregon’s wet season has a way of finding every weakness in a roof. For Tigard, Beaverton and Hillsboro homeowners, the stretch before the rain returns in earnest is the smartest time to take an honest look up top — because a roof that’s “good enough” in September can become a living-room leak by December. Here are seven signs it’s time to plan a replacement before winter.

Our dry window is short, and it gets crowded. The best crews book up fast through late summer and early fall, and once the steady rain arrives, roof work becomes harder to schedule and slower to complete. More to the point, you don’t want to discover a failing roof in the middle of a January storm. Catching the warning signs now means you replace on your timeline, not in an emergency.

Start with age. Most asphalt shingle roofs in our climate last somewhere between 20 and 30 years, and often on the shorter end given the moisture. If your roof is past the two-decade mark, it deserves a close look. Next, check the shingles themselves: curling, cupping, or buckling edges mean the shingles are failing. Finally, look in your gutters and downspouts for granules — the sandy grit that protects shingles from UV. A roof shedding granules heavily, or showing bald, shiny patches, is wearing out.

Your attic tells the truth. Water stains on the underside of the decking, damp or compressed insulation, or daylight coming through the boards all point to a roof that’s letting moisture in. On the outside, heavy moss growth and dark streaks are more than cosmetic in the Pacific Northwest — moss holds water against the roof and can lift and separate shingles, accelerating their failure. A little moss can be treated; a roof carpeted in it is often near the end.

Flashing — the metal that seals joints around chimneys, vents, and valleys — is a common failure point. Cracked, rusted, or lifting flashing lets water sneak in even when the shingles look fine. And the most serious sign of all is a sagging or dipping roofline. A sag usually means moisture has compromised the decking or structure underneath, and it calls for prompt professional attention.

One or two minor signs might mean a repair; several together usually point to replacement. The only way to know for sure is a professional inspection. Orion Roofing offers free, no-pressure roof inspections for Tigard-area homes — we’ll give you an honest assessment of where your roof stands and how much life it has left. As Hillsboro’s #1-rated roofer with more than 30 years of experience, we’d rather help you plan ahead than meet you during a leak.