Age is a prompt to look. Condition is the answer.

How long should a roof last in Minnesota?

Less than the number on the wrapper, generally. Shingle warranties are written against material defects under stated conditions, not against Minnesota weather, and a roof here is working harder than the warranty contemplates.

What shortens it: freeze-thaw cycling, which works moisture into any crack; ice dams, which force water backwards under the shingles; hail, which fractures mat without necessarily looking dramatic; and attic heat from an under-insulated ceiling, which cooks the underside of the deck.

That is why we would rather look at a roof than ask its age. A well-ventilated, well-insulated roof that has missed the hail can outlast a neglected one by years.

What can I check myself, without getting on the roof?

Stay on the ground, use binoculars, and look at the south and west slopes first — they get the most sun and age fastest. You are looking for bare patches where granule is gone and the mat shows through, shingles that are cupped, curled, cracked or missing, and any line of shingles that looks wavy, which suggests a problem in the deck underneath.

Check the gutters for granule. Some is normal, especially on a new roof. A steady accumulation of coarse grit from an old roof is the surface wearing off.

Then go into the attic on a bright day with the light off. Daylight through the deck, dark staining on the sheathing, damp or compressed insulation, or rusted nail points all mean water is getting in. That is the most informative five minutes available to a homeowner, and it costs nothing.

Repair or replace?

Repair is the right answer more often than contractors admit. A failed pipe boot, a few wind-lifted shingles, a flashing detail at a chimney — those are localised failures on a roof that is otherwise fine, and replacing the whole roof to fix one of them is waste.

Replacement earns its cost when the failure is the field of the roof rather than a detail on it: widespread granule loss, brittleness across slopes, multiple leaks in different places, or a deck that has gone soft.

The honest middle case is a roof with a few years left and a known problem. Repair it, keep the documentation, and plan for replacement rather than being surprised by it. We will tell you which case you are in, in writing, and we do say “this roof is fine” when it is.

Can I just add a second layer and buy time?

In much of the metro, no. Where the building code identifies a moderate hail area, asphalt shingles may not be applied over an existing roof covering, so a re-roof goes to the deck.

That removes the cheap option, and on balance that is a good thing. A layover hides the deck for another twenty years, performs worse under hail because the lower layer is no longer bedded flat, and adds real weight to a structure sized for one layer.

It also means that if your roof already carries two layers, both come off when the time comes. Worth knowing before you compare quotes.

City of Burnsville: “Dakota County is in an area that is identified as a moderate hail area in the building code. What this means for you is that the building code will not allow asphalt shingles to be applied over any existing roof covering.” Source: City of Burnsville, Re-Roofing With Asphalt Shingles

My roof is old. Should I claim hail damage while I can?

File a claim if there is damage. Do not file one hoping there is.

Two things to understand first. An older roof may be on actual cash value rather than replacement cost, in which case depreciation comes off and the payment may be much smaller than the job — worth checking your declarations page before you file. And a claim that is denied still sits on your record.

The useful sequence is to find out what is actually on the roof before involving the carrier. We will look at it, photograph it, and tell you whether there is a claim there. That costs nothing and it does not commit you to filing.