Rosie on the House: Consider these points when fiddling with roof

Maybe your roof gave you trouble in the big storms of November and December. Maybe you even had someone out to patch a leak. But how can you know when your roof is totally shot and has to be replaced?

The No. 1 sign is multiple leaks in your home, whether those leaks are all at once in a major storm or one right after the other in different areas of your home. Secondly, ask yourself how old your current roof is, and third, find out what kind of roofing you have.

That may sound basic and simple, but many people buy homes particularly newcomers to Arizona without thinking much about whats overhead or how and when it got there.

They usually find out a little from a building inspection, but then they want the seller to quickly fix any problems before escrow closes.

Probably the renovated kitchen, curb appeal and location were mainly why they picked the house.

But that roof can become a real issue once a homeowner finds out that total replacement can approach $10,000 or even more, depending on the square footage of the roof, materials, removal of the old roofing, and repairs or replacement of the underlayment.

Several types of roofing are most frequently used on Arizona homes, and some choices last longer than the others.

Generally, most people reroof with the same materials already up there, often because theyre in an HOA where they have to do that.

Here are some common examples of roofing:

--Built-up roofs are less costly and have sheets of roofing membrane with sealing done on seams and vents and around pipes sticking out of the roof. Roofers put down layers of rolled asphalt with hot tar between layers and more tar used to make the layers stick to the deck underneath.

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Rosie on the House: Consider these points when fiddling with roof