The Age Question Nobody Wants to Answer
There’s a conversation I have with homeowners at least once a week that goes almost exactly the same way. They call about something unrelated — a gutter issue, a small patch job — and somewhere during the inspection I end up asking when the roof was last replaced. Long pause. “I think it was done before we bought the place.” That answer, more than almost anything else, tells me we’re probably looking at a roof that’s already borrowed time.
Most asphalt shingle roofs in this city hold up for somewhere between 15 and 25 years. That’s a wide range, and where your roof falls on that spectrum depends on a bunch of things: the quality of shingles that were used, whether the installation crew actually knew what they were doing, and how many of Calgary’s legendary hailstorms your neighbourhood has eaten since then. A 20-year-old roof doesn’t necessarily need to come off tomorrow. But once you’re past the 15-year mark, problems don’t just appear — they accelerate. Small issues that would’ve been nothing five years ago start compounding on each other.
Granule Loss Is Your Earliest Warning Sign
Take a look in your gutters next time you’re out cleaning them (you are cleaning them, right?). If you’re seeing what looks like coarse black sand piling up at the bottom, that’s granule loss. Those tiny fragments used to be the protective coating on your shingles, doing the hard work of deflecting UV rays and shedding moisture. Once they start coming off in noticeable quantities, the clock is ticking.
I always tell people to check their downspout exits too. After a good rainfall, look at the ground where the downspouts dump water. If there’s a little beach of dark, sandy material building up there, your shingles are shedding their armour. New shingles shed a bit during the first year — that’s normal. But on a roof that’s already got some age, heavy granule loss is basically the shingles waving a white flag.
Curling, Buckling, and What They Actually Mean
You can usually spot curling from the driveway if you know where to look. The edges of the shingles start turning upward, or the centres push up in a way that makes them look bloated. Either way, the shingle has lost the flexibility it needs to do its job. Water sneaks underneath curled edges. Wind catches them like little sails, especially during those January Chinook gusts that rip through the city at 90 kilometres an hour.
Calgary’s freeze-thaw cycle is the real killer here. On those stretches in February and March where you get plus-ten during the day and minus-fifteen overnight, every shingle on your roof is expanding and contracting over and over. That repeated stress is what causes the curling in the first place, and once it starts, there’s no reversing it. The shingle is done.
Go Check Your Attic (Seriously, Do It Today)
Here’s something that costs you nothing and takes about five minutes. On a sunny afternoon, go into your attic, shut off any lights up there, and look at the underside of the roof deck. Just stand there and let your eyes adjust. If you can see tiny points of daylight poking through, that’s not charming — that’s terrifying. Every spot where light gets through is a spot where rain and snowmelt can get through too.
While you’re up there, use your nose. A musty, damp smell in the attic usually means moisture has been hanging around for a while. Look at the wood — dark stains, discolouration, soft spots when you press on the sheathing. Check the insulation. If it’s damp or matted down, water is getting in from somewhere, even if you haven’t noticed a single drip downstairs. Attic damage can be happening for months before it makes itself known on your ceilings.
The Sagging Roofline That Nobody Wants to See
Walk across the street from your house sometime and just look at the roofline. It should be straight and even along the ridge and down every slope. If you spot any kind of dip, sag, or waviness, that’s not a shingle problem. That’s a structural problem. The decking underneath has been weakened — usually from long-term moisture exposure — and potentially the rafters too.
Sagging doesn’t fix itself and it doesn’t stay the same. It gets worse. If you see it, don’t file it under “things to deal with next year.” Next year it’ll be worse and more expensive.
When Your Repair Bills Start Adding Up
I’ve met homeowners who’ve spent four or five thousand dollars over a three-year stretch on various patch jobs, emergency fixes, and shingle replacements on isolated sections. They’re surprised when I point out that they’ve already paid for a third of a new roof and have nothing lasting to show for it. No new warranty. No upgraded underlayment. No better ventilation. Just a patchwork of temporary fixes holding together an old system.
Track what you’re spending on roof repairs. If you’ve had a contractor out more than once in the last couple of years, pull up those invoices and do the math. There’s a tipping point where continued repairs cost more than replacement would — and most people sail past that point without realizing it because the bills come in dribs and drabs.
See also: The Development of Smart Homes: Convenience and Security
Rising Energy Bills as a Hidden Clue
This one sneaks up on people. Your gas bill keeps climbing even though you haven’t changed anything — same furnace, same thermostat settings, same windows. Where’s the heat going? Potentially straight out through your roof. An aging roof assembly with degraded insulation, worn-out underlayment, and poor ventilation is essentially a giant vent at the top of your house during winter.
I had a customer in Tuscany a couple of years back who couldn’t figure out why her heating costs jumped about $120 a month over one winter. Turned out the underlayment had deteriorated badly, the attic ventilation was almost completely blocked by insulation that had shifted over the years, and the whole system was just bleeding warm air. After the roof replacement, her bills dropped back down within the first billing cycle.
Flashing Failures You Probably Can’t See
The metal strips around your chimney, vents, and skylights are called flashing, and they’re one of the most critical waterproofing elements on your entire roof. When they fail — and in this climate, they always do eventually — water enters the roof structure at every joint. The tricky part is that flashing leaks often don’t produce visible drips inside the house for a long time. Water travels sideways along rafters, soaks into insulation, and does damage you won’t see until it’s serious.
From the ground, look for rust, gaps, or sealant that’s peeled away from the metal. If you can see those from street level, the actual condition up close is almost certainly worse.
Your Neighbours Are a Clue You Shouldn’t Ignore
When three or four houses on your block all get new roofs the same summer, that’s not a coincidence. Homes in the same subdivision were usually built by the same developer within a year or two of each other, using similar materials and the same roofing crews. They’ve all absorbed the same weather for the same number of years. If the rest of the block has hit replacement time, your house is probably right there with them.
This isn’t foolproof — maybe your roof was done by a different crew, or the previous owner already replaced it once. But as a general signal, it’s worth paying attention to. Your roof isn’t immune to the same forces that wore out every other roof on the street.
Making the Call Before the Call Gets Made for You
The hardest part of all this is that waiting feels free. Putting off the decision doesn’t cost anything today. But every month you wait while a roof deteriorates, the eventual price goes up. A roof that needs replacing this year will need replacing and structural repair next year if something fails badly enough over the winter.
Get an honest assessment from a qualified local roofer in Calgary — not a door-knocker who showed up after a hailstorm, but someone established who’ll be around in ten years if you need them. Get the facts, get a timeline, and make the decision with your eyes open. That’s always cheaper than being surprised.
