Most roof replacement decisions in the Baton Rouge area start with something visible from the ground. None of the signs below prove a roof is finished, but each one is a reason to get a written assessment rather than wait for the next storm to settle the question.
1. Shingles that are curling, cupping, or missing granules
Asphalt shingles lose their protective granule layer with age and heat. When you can see bare mat, or the shingle edges lift and curl, the material is no longer shedding water the way it was designed to. Granules collecting in gutters after every rain is the same signal in a different place.
2. Repeated leaks in different places
One leak is a repair. Leaks appearing in unrelated parts of the house over a season usually mean the roof assembly is failing broadly rather than at a single point. Ask for the leak history to be documented, with photographs, before agreeing to another patch.
3. Sagging along the ridge or between rafters
A roof plane should read as straight. Visible dips suggest the decking underneath has taken on moisture or the structure is carrying more weight than it should. This is the one sign on this list that should be looked at promptly rather than at the next convenient time.
4. Daylight or staining in the attic
Attic inspection tells you more than a walk around the yard. Daylight through the deck, damp insulation, or dark staining on rafters shows where water is actually entering, which is often several feet from where the ceiling stain appears downstairs.
5. Age relative to the material
Age alone does not condemn a roof, but it changes what the other four signs mean. Curling shingles on a roof approaching the end of its expected service life point toward replacement; the same curling on a young roof points toward a defect or an installation problem worth investigating.
What to do with this
If two or more of these apply, the useful next step is a written assessment that states the observed conditions, the recommended work, and the reasoning connecting the two. A quote that names a price without describing what was seen is not an assessment.
