A community built in one wave
Grand Haven is one of the easiest places in Palm Coast to read the age of the roofs. Development started around 1997 on more than 1,400 acres along the Intracoastal Waterway, built around a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course. Of the roughly 1,900 homes planned, about 1,650 have been built, and the median home went up around 2004. Homes have kept coming since, but the bulk of the roofs were installed between 1998 and 2006.
That puts most original roofs here somewhere between 20 and 28 years old, which is where shingle reaches the end and tile starts to show its age from underneath.
Shingle at the end of its life
For an architectural shingle roof in Florida sun and wind, 20-plus years is a full life. The signs are familiar: granules collecting in the gutters, tabs curling or cracking, and shingles at the edges and ridges that lift in a storm because the sealant strips stopped gripping years ago. On many shingle roofs that age, repairs only buy time between storms, and a roof replacement is the better use of the money. When we replace one, we tear off to the deck, repair any soft decking we find, and install new underlayment, flashing and edge metal along with the new shingle roof.
Tile that ages from underneath
Tile roofs in Grand Haven age differently. The concrete tile is usually still sound at 20-plus years. The waterproofing is the underlayment beneath it, and that layer is as old as the shingle roofs next door. In our experience it is what fails first, and the leaks show up as stains near valleys, walls and roof penetrations long before any tile looks wrong. The fix is often to lift the tile, replace the underlayment, and relay the roof, reusing the tile that is still good.
Two rules worth knowing
Nearly every original roof here was installed before the 2007 Florida Building Code, so the 25 percent rule applies: repair or replace 25 percent or more of the roof within 12 months, and the whole roof has to come up to current code. Before a large repair, we tell you how close the job comes to that line.
Insurers also look at roof age. Florida’s 15-year roof rule keeps an insurer from refusing to write or renew a policy solely because a roof is under 15 years old. Past 15, an inspection showing at least five years of useful life left keeps age alone from being the reason. On a 25-year-old shingle roof, those five years are often not there, and it is better to know that before your renewal than after.
Through the gate and the review
Grand Haven’s main gate is off Colbert Lane, with a guard on duty around the clock. We send the crew, the material delivery and the dumpster drop ahead of time so nothing is held up on the day. Homes along the Intracoastal and the open fairways also catch more wind than a house tucked between neighbors, so we pay extra attention to fastening at the edges and ridges on those roofs.
In most master-planned gated communities, a change of roof color or material goes through an architectural review. Your association will tell you what it needs to see and what it allows. We provide the manufacturer specs, color names and samples for the submission, and set the start date after approval.
A short drive from home
Grand Haven is minutes from our base, and our family has lived in Palm Coast since 1989. Mark and Nicholas are the second and third generations of roofers in the family, the same core crew has worked together for more than 30 years, and we work every section of Palm Coast. For a roof near the end, start with a free roof inspection: photos, a plain answer and a written quote. Call (386) 864-9600 or send us a note, and we will call back within one business day.