Rolled Roofing

[Lee Bray]

Can anyone tell me what the "EXPECTED" life span is of a Asphalt rolled roofing is? Thanks! Mine has been on approx 11 years, a roofer I talked to said approx 5 years which I thought was a little low.

Lee

[Tom]

Depends on the pitch and the local climate, for starters. Double coverage or single? Cold or hot application tar used in the installation? Tom Work at your leisure!

[Lee Bray]

Hi Tom

Sorry about that, Florida, flat roof, hot tar at the seams, single overlap. Thanks

Lee

Tom wrote:

[Tom]

5 years is a longish time for 1 layer in such conditions. Tom Work at your leisure!

[Lee Bray]

Hi Tom

I guess I will have to get it replaced then. But it lasted 11 years so far and I guess I got my money's worth then. Just wanted to be sure I was not being fed a line by someone. Thanks again for your assistance.'

Lee

Tom wrote:

[Jeff Cochran]

Then five years may be accurate. Roofs take a beating in Florida. Ten years may be tops.

Jeff

[MilkyWhy]

I have roll roofing on some of my sheds, that is at least 25 years old, and looks to be good for another dozen years.

Nothing I've got is insured, but I understand that most buildings are not insurable due to company guidelines, if you choose rolled roofing instead of shingles.

[Joshua Putnam]

True for many but not all insurance companies. Just like knob-and-tube wiring or polybutylene plumbing or synthetic stucco siding, this doesn't mean that there's necessarily anything wrong with your particular installation, insurance is a business of statistics and probabilities.

Even if most homes with roll roofing don't suffer losses, as a group they suffer more losses than homes with shingles. The insurance company can either refuse to insure roll roofing, or raise premiums enough to cover the higher losses. But if they raise rates, everyone with shingles will save money by going to a company that doesn't take roll roofing.