Determining the state of the roof is always important since it may lead to casualties. One could only estimate the lifespan and how old a roof is, especially when the homeowner has no idea how or when the roof installation had happened. It could be hard to estimate the exact age or how long the roof will last, mainly due to Florida’s hard weather conditions. The materials and their quality can play a major role in determining when a roof would last.
The extreme moisture, heat, numerous rain showers in the summer, not to mention some wind and the occasional nearby hurricane, can drastically burden your roof. Even corrosion from the coastal areas of Florida may be a problem since the metal fasteners that hold a roof together may be affected by the humidity. Due to these factors and harsh aspects of the weather, Florida roofs may last less compared to other drier states.
Asphalt shingles may be especially hard, difficult, and tricky to assess regarding their lifespan due to other various aspects, such as the materials that were used, the shingle’s thickness and its quality, proper installation quality, etc. Every material has an estimated lifespan expectancy. In the case of asphalt shingle roofs, there could be two types of materials. They are the “3-tab asphalt shingle” roof, and the other one is called the “dimensional asphalt shingle” (also known as the “architectural asphalt shingle”).
Again, these may vary depending on the location, although the usual lifespan of tile roofs in Florida may be expected to be around 20 to 25 years. For tile roofs, the durability may greatly depend on the maintenance that the roof may receive. This is due to underlayment deterioration of tile roofs because of tree debris, involving its leaves and seeds, accumulating under tiles.
That is why blowing leaves and palm fronds from tile roofs is advisable. Roofs may also have their valleys, water flow plugged due to debris build-up. Water is another great enemy of roofs, when some water rests on the tile roof, premature failure may be contributed. 10-year-old tile roofs especially usually do not allow, or at least do not recommend pressure washing. This applies to every tile roof.
If cleaning is needed, a professional is usually contacted to avoid any damages or problems. No use of high-powered machinery can also be recommended. It is also recommendable to ask contractors for maintenance as they have better knowledge and experience when dealing with such delicate roofs without damaging any of them.
Florida tiles, specifically clay tiles, tend to get brittle due to the heat and could even break as they are walked on. If that may be the case, roofers may easily tighten loose parts or replace the tiles in bad condition without damaging the other parts of the roof.
In Florida, the threat of hurricanes is probable even from tropical storms. South Florida is especially affected by this. Some sections from Southern Florida may average an annual 90 thunderstorm days, in fact, Florida has the highest storm count yearly compared to all the other states. The lightning density in Florida is also exceptionally high and is undoubtedly the highest in the USA.
South Florida tile roofs may have a hard time in contrast to the central or northern regions. In such strong storms, preparation is key, people usually tend to strengthen their roofs the best that they can while the hurricane does its thing. In those cases, roofs receive most of the damage and would usually be the first to go.
The houses that are not able to endure those harsh weather would either partially or even completely collapse. Having poorly maintained tile roofs results in weaker felts and are then easily lifted away by a hurricane. Proper maintenance for tile roofs in Florida are highly recommended as having maintained a structurally sound roof, no matter what it is, is the only way to stand up to the storms and heavy rains.
Most people are likely to use metal roofs. It has lots of advantages such as less maintenance needed, energy-efficient, and most importantly, durable. Not only that, there are quite a variety of choices for materials to choose from, it may be steel, copper, aluminum, tin, or even zinc. This material is especially appropriate for Florida as it can endure extremely harsh conditions.
Not only is it durable, but it has quite a higher longevity than most other materials, with a lifespan of 20 – 30 years. Even though harsh conditions, it can apply with wind gusts of up to 140 miles per hour. Although it is still recommendable to find yourself high-quality metal for better performance.
Metal roofs are extremely durable. Compared to other materials that may easily crack, break or corrode, metal roofs are way tougher. Although it isn’t necessarily completely unbreakable, unlike tile roofs, roofs made from metal aren’t weak from tree debris. Depending on what metal is used, these types of roofs may also resist lots of impact from random objects thrown by a hurricane’s breeze.
As mentioned before, Florida experiences quite dangerous lightning during storms. The sparks produced by this lightning may result in fires starting. Metal roofs combat these metals are essentially not conducive to electricity conduction, and so, are saved from such unfortunate tragedies. One of the perfect factors why metal roofs fit in Florida so much is that solar radiant heat is reflected off metal roofs. Potentially lowering cooling costs while shielding the building from the Florida heat.
How Long Do Asphalt Shingle Roofs Last?

Dimensional Asphalt Shingle
These shingle roofs have two layers and make the roof seem more 3D. It can also sustain higher wind speeds due to its thicker and heavier shingles, making it last longer. This thickness can also be beneficial when preventing rain to get inside the house. This is due to the fact that the thicker the shingles are, the more materials there are. Although normally, these shingles can last longer, in Florida, a dimensional shingle may be able to last for 17-20 years (with a life expectancy of 20, 25, and sometimes 30 years in other places). There are UV rays that can quickly dry out the asphalt, making the shingles crack and expose the fiberglass. Better longevity can be achieved by the roof frame bracing having combined with special installation methods, this can make dimensional shingles endure almost twice the wind of three-tab ones.How Long Do Tile Roofs Last?

How Long Does A Metal Roof Last?
