If you have done any home improvement projects in the past several years, you know the costs are very high. Projects which you might consider small (power washing, tree removals or pumping you septic system) are not cheep. You can find yourself spending hundreds and often thousands of dollars. Larger projects like roof replacement are substantially more expensive and most of us don’t want to replace the roof before it really needs to be done. That said, there are several questions that need to be answered before a decision can be made, when a roof should be replaced, when is it necessary to remove the existing roofing and what type of shingles should be installed. These are important factors that that will have a dramatic affect on the cost of roof replacement. The first thing you need to decide is if it is time to install a new roof. Most asphalt roofs have a life expectancy of 20 years. Newer shingles are touted to last as long as 40 years but history has shown that it has not been the case. While technology has improved, roofing materials and the shingles manufactured today may last longer than 20 years, but 20 years is a good rule of thumb. If there are signs of aging like leaks, loose granular particles, lifting or curling shingles and you roof is around 20 years old, it’s most likely getting near the time to replace it. These are all signs that it is time to call