Compare
Repair or Replace?
This is the only question that matters, and in Florida it is often not a judgement call — the code decides it.
Photographs and a written scope. If the honest answer is that it can wait another season, you will get that answer.
Side by side
| Category | Us | Full Replacement |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Hundreds to a few thousand | Tens of thousands |
| The 25% rule | Applies if under 25% in any 12 months | Required once you cross it |
| Underlayment age | Fine if it has years left | The real trigger. Tile outlives it |
| Isolated storm damage | Usually the right answer. Repair wins here | Overkill |
| Disruption | A day | Days to weeks. Repair wins here |
| Insurance and resale | No change to roof age | Resets roof age, often helps binding |
| Repeat repairs | Two in a year means you are losing money | Ends the cycle |
| Code upgrade | None triggered | Whole system brought current |
Each row marked “wins here” is a genuine advantage of the alternative. A table that gives the other side nothing is an advertisement wearing a table's clothes.
Our view
The honest verdict
If the underlayment or membrane has life left and the damage is localised, repair — and be suspicious of anyone who skips straight to replacement without lifting anything to look. Once you are over the 25% threshold, or once you are paying for a third repair in two years, replacement is not an upsell, it is arithmetic.
Other comparisons
A Roofing Company vs. a General Contractor
For most roof jobs a dedicated roofing company is the right call and will be faster and cheaper. Here is the situation where that stops being true.
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The Crew That Knocked on Your Door
Not everyone who knocks after a storm is a problem. Some are perfectly good companies working hard in a busy week. The checks below cost you five minutes and separate the two.
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Doing It Yourself, or Calling a Handyman
Some roof work is genuinely fine to do yourself. Some of it will cost you a warranty, an insurance claim, or a fall. The line is clearer than you would think.
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Coating a Flat Roof vs. Replacing It
Coatings are a real product with real applications. They are also the most oversold thing in Florida roofing, and the difference comes down to what is under them.
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Next step
Find out what is actually wrong with it.
An inspection, photographs of what we found, and a written scope. If the honest answer is that it can wait another season, that is the answer you will get.