How long does a roof last in Rhode Island?

Typical ranges

These are the ranges manufacturers and roofing trade groups describe. Treat them as a planning guide, not a promise; a roof can beat them or fall short.

• Three-tab asphalt shingles: about 15 to 25 years. See asphalt shingle roofs.
• Architectural asphalt shingles: about 20 to 30 years. The usual replacement choice today.
• Cedar shingles: roughly 20 to 30 years, depending on grade, shade and how well the roof dries. See cedar shingle roofs.
• Slate: the stone often lasts 75 years or more. Nails and flashing usually go first.
• Standing-seam metal: often 40 years or more. See metal roofs.

What wears Rhode Island roofs

Wind. Nor'easters in winter and tropical storms in late summer lift shingle edges and break seal strips. Once a strip lets go, the next storm finds it.

Salt air. On Aquidneck Island, in Bristol and Warwick's shore neighborhoods and along the bay, salt works on nails, drip edge and flashing. Corrosion at the edges often decides when a coastal roof needs replacing. The wind and salt guide covers what to ask for.

Freeze and thaw. Water that gets into a crack freezes, expands and widens it, many times a winter. Ice dams add their own wear at the eaves.

Sun. South- and west-facing slopes bake in summer and usually lose granules and curl first.

Signs a roof is near the end

• Curling, cupping or cracked shingles on more than one slope.
• Bare patches where the granules are gone, and granules piling up in the gutters.
• Rusted or lifted flashing at chimneys, walls and edges.
• Daylight, stains or soft spots on the roof boards in the attic.
• Leaks in more than one place, or leaks that come back after being fixed.

On a triple-decker, the shallow roof and the top-floor tenants usually notice first; see triple-decker roofs. After a big storm, see wind and storm damage.