evan_harris14•14d agoMost Upvoted

Old shed roof finally gave up after 12 years of neglect

Walked out last Tuesday morning and found half the shingles on my 8x10 garden shed scattered across the yard. That roof was installed back in 2012 with basic 3-tab shingles, never thought it'd last this long honestly. Took me two trips to Lowe's for plywood and felt paper since I measured wrong the first time. Anyone else deal with a sudden failure like that or did I just get lucky with how long it held?

2 comments

2 Comments

lucas6314d ago

Man I used to be one of those guys who thought roof neglect was no big deal, just let it ride until something happens. But after seeing my buddy's shed do the exact same thing last spring - that roof caved in on some expensive tools he had stored in there - I changed my tune real quick. You got super lucky it held that long honestly, 12 years on cheap 3-tab shingles is wild. I used to think you could push a roof way past its expected life without issues, but that kind of sudden failure can ruin more than just your weekend. Now I'm the annoying friend who checks everyone's roof after every big storm lol.

green.jessica14d ago

Have you ever noticed how the cheap stuff always fails at the worst possible time? That's what gets me, it's never during a gentle rain on a Tuesday afternoon, it's always during a big storm or when you've got something important stored underneath. I think that luck factor is what trips so many people up, they see a roof that's been fine for years and assume it'll keep holding, but those 3-tab shingles are basically just glorified cardboard after a decade or so. You're probably saving your buddies from some real heartache by being the roof checker, honestly it's such a simple thing to look at but nobody thinks about it until their tools or furniture are soaked.