Free roof inspection with deck photos before we talk money - GAF and Owens Corning certified installation
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterWhat’s Happening
Missing or curling shingles almost always mean your roof’s protective layer is breaking down – either from age, heat damage, or improper installation – and water now has a path into your home. This is not a cosmetic issue. A shingle that has curled at the edges or gone missing entirely is no longer shedding water the way it was designed to.
When shingles curl, they lift away from the roof deck and create gaps where wind-driven rain can force its way under the surface. When shingles go missing entirely, the underlayment below them is exposed to whatever the sky sends next. Neither condition fixes itself. The longer it sits, the more the damage spreads – from the shingles themselves down into the decking, and eventually into the insulation and ceiling below. Catching it now, before the next rain, is the smart move.
Why It Happens
Age and Normal Wear
Asphalt shingles have a lifespan. As they age, the asphalt dries out and the shingle loses its flexibility. You’ll notice granules collecting in your gutters – that fine, sand-like grit that washes off the surface over years. Once the granules go, the shingle bakes in the sun, dries further, and starts to curl or crack. If your roof is getting up in years and you’re seeing granule loss alongside curling, age is almost certainly the cause.
Poor Ventilation in the Attic
Heat and moisture trapped in the attic cook shingles from below. When the attic can’t breathe properly, temperatures under the roof deck climb high enough to warp and prematurely age shingles that should have years of life left. If your shingles are curling but the roof is relatively young, pull down the attic hatch and feel for trapped heat or notice whether it smells musty. Both are signs ventilation is the root problem, and replacing shingles without fixing it is just solving half the equation.
Wind Damage
A strong wind event can pop nails, lift shingle tabs, and carry sections of roofing clean off the deck. This one is usually easy to identify: you either saw it happen, you find shingles in the yard, or you notice a sudden patch of bare roof after a storm. Wind damage tends to be concentrated – one slope takes the brunt, while the rest of the roof looks fine. Check the ground around your home after any significant wind event.
Improper Installation
Shingles installed with too few nails, nails placed in the wrong position, or without proper starter strips will fail early. The tabs lift, curl, or blow off under conditions that a properly installed shingle would have handled without trouble. If a section of your roof is curling while the surrounding shingles look healthy, and the roof is not particularly old, installation quality is worth investigating. A technician can usually identify this quickly by examining the nailing pattern on a lifted shingle.
What to Do Right Now
- Stay off the roof. Curling or missing shingles mean the surface may be unstable, and a wet or granule-stripped shingle is slippery. Roof height and unstable footing are a serious combination – leave the up-close inspection to someone with the right equipment and training.
- Photograph what you can see from the ground. Walk the perimeter and take clear photos from ground level. These help your local Birchbark Roofing team understand the scope before they arrive and make the estimate conversation faster and more specific.
- Check your attic for daylight or wet insulation. Open the attic hatch and look toward the roofline. Any visible daylight or damp, compressed insulation is a sign water has already found a way in. If you see water staining on the decking or smell mold, note it – that’s important information for the technician.
- Clear the gutters if you can do it safely from a ladder on flat ground. Blocked gutters push water back up under the edge of the roof. If clearing them requires climbing onto the roof itself, leave it.
- Move anything stored directly below the damaged area indoors. If a ceiling stain is directly below the missing shingles, shift valuables, furniture, or electronics out of the way until the roof is assessed. A temporary container under a drip is a reasonable precaution if rain is coming.
How We Fix It
When your local Birchbark Roofing team arrives, the first thing the technician does is a full roof inspection – not just the obvious damaged area. Shingles rarely fail in isolation, and a close look at the surrounding field often turns up lifted tabs or cracked sections that aren’t visible from the ground. Once the technician has a complete picture, you get a written price, in dollars, before anything is touched. That’s not optional at Birchbark – it’s how every job works.
For localized damage, the repair path is usually targeted roof repair: remove the damaged shingles, inspect and address any underlayment or decking damage underneath, and install new shingles using materials from manufacturers like GAF, CertainTeed, Owens Corning, IKO, Atlas, Tamko, or Boral. Where the damage is widespread or the roof has reached the end of its serviceable life, the honest recommendation will be roof replacement. Either way, the job is covered by the 365-Day Done Right Promise – if the work isn’t right, Birchbark makes it right. A straightforward repair typically takes a few hours; a full replacement is usually completed in a day.
Frequently Asked Questions
In most cases, no – not without real risk. A missing shingle exposes the underlayment and decking to direct rain, and one good storm can push water into the sheathing, insulation, and eventually the ceiling below. Curling shingles are a step behind, but they’re not far off. The cost of addressing the shingles now is almost always much lower than repairing water damage after the fact. Call (424) 766-4937 to schedule a free estimate – your local team will tell you exactly what you’re dealing with.
It depends on how widespread the damage is and how much life the rest of the roof has left. A small section of missing shingles on an otherwise sound roof is usually a repair. If the shingles are curling across multiple slopes, granule loss is significant, or the roof is past its expected lifespan, replacement may be the more practical answer. Your Birchbark technician will inspect the whole roof and give you an honest assessment – not just the answer that produces the bigger job.
Call (424) 766-4937 and a live person will answer right now – days, nights, weekends, it doesn’t matter. Your local Birchbark Roofing team will schedule your inspection as quickly as possible. The sooner someone gets eyes on it, the sooner you know what you’re dealing with.
No. Birchbark provides a written price before any work begins, and that price doesn’t move once it’s agreed. If the technician opens up the roof and finds something unexpected underneath – rotted decking, for example – they’ll stop, show you what they found, and get your approval on any change before continuing. No surprises after the fact.
Get It Fixed
Call (424) 766-4937 – a live person answers every call, day or night. Or book online and your local Birchbark Roofing team will reach out to schedule your free written estimate. No voicemail, no waiting until Monday, no guessing on price.
Written by Erik Lindgren, Owner at Birchbark Roofing, part of the Cedarwell family of roofing companies since 2000.
What Our Customers Say
"They repaired some lifted shingles and were so neat about it. Covered the deck, cleaned the gutters of debris when they were done, and checked the yard twice for nails. Kids play out there so that mattered."
- Lena Hargrove"Roof repair and they were meticulous about the cleanup, tarps over the garden beds and a magnet sweep for nails. We have a dog and a toddler so that mattered a lot."
- Thaddeus Bloom"New roof after hail. They covered everything below, kept the site neat each day, and did a full nail sweep of the whole yard twice. Thoughtful people."
- Caroline Prejean