Whistler Real Estate Co Ltd, #137- 4370 Lorimer Road, Whistler, BC V0N 1B4

I have a roof problem on the area of my roof over my uninsulated garage. The shingles have deteriorated badly and I think they may need to be replaced in the near future.

These shingles are on a small piece of roof which is over my garage, which is not heated or cooled or insulated. Could this be the reason for the deterioration? Most other houses on the street have the same problem.

My main roof seems to be in good shape and does not look at all like the curled and deteriorated portions on the garage.

If the main roof looks okay, is there any reason not to replace the garage portion at this time and then do the other part when it appears to be deteriorating?

If I replace the garage portion, is there anything special to do to prevent this from happening again in the near future?

Also, I have been told that light colored shingles are better than dark ones because they do not absorb as much heat and therefore last longer. Is this correct?

This house, by the way, is 15 years old.

The roof deterioration on your garage is most likely due to the age of the roof. The typical lifespan of an asphalt shingle roof is approximately 15 years. Since you said your house was 15 years old, I would assume the roof covering is the same age. Other factors can contribute to shingle deterioration and might explain why your garage roof seems to be aging more quickly than your main roof. I've listed some of these factors below, but for a more extensive list, please refer to the attached articles.

Slope - Lower sloped roofs tend to age more quickly than steeply sloped roofs because they receive more direct sunlight.

Direction - Roofs facing south and west can often wear more quickly than east and north facing roofs due to more intense sun exposure.

Heat - Excess temperatures can cause blistering and premature aging on asphalt roofs. This can be improved by insulating and ventilating the roof space. It is not easy to comment in this situation because I cannot see your roof configuration.

Color - You are correct that light colored roofs tend to wear less quickly than dark roofs because light roofs reflect more sunlight than dark roofs, which tend to absorb it.

You can go ahead and replace the garage roof before replacing the main roof on your house. To avoid potential leakage and damage to your garage roof framing, it is better to replace a badly deteriorated roof even if you prefer not to replace the rest of the roof just yet. However, one thing to keep in mind is that, depending on the color of the roof you choose, when it comes time to replace the main roof it might be difficult to find an exact color match to your new garage roof.