Should I buy a house with an old roof?

Buying in Gordon Head or Royal Oak usually means buying a 1960s–70s house on its second or third roof, and often a low-slope torch-on section of a different age from the main shingles. The inspection should give you an age for each. In Broadmead the trees that came with the 1980s design covenants now shade the roofs, so a 15-year-old roof there can look and behave older than a 20-year-old roof in sunny Sidney.

The Uplands and Oak Bay bring a different problem: cedar, slate-look and tile roofs that most crews rarely price, so a generic replacement number is not enough and a real quote is worth getting during the subject-removal period. In James Bay, ask specifically about the plank sheathing under 1890s–1920s roofs, because decking replacement is the cost that turns a $10,000 re-roof into a $15,000 one.

A 20-year-old laminate roof can be sound or finished depending on where it sits. Full sun, good ventilation and a simple shape push lifespans toward the top of the range; shade, moss, valleys and a north-facing slope push them down. Victoria realtors quote asphalt at 20–25 years and cedar at 15–20 locally, shorter than manufacturer figures, because of exactly those conditions.

What matters to a buyer is not the number but the signs: curling or cupped shingles, bare patches with granules in the gutters, moss lifting the edges, dark staining on the attic sheathing, and rust or sealant on flashings. Any of these may indicate a roof in its last years; none is a diagnosis without a professional look.

The subject-to-inspection period is the moment to make the roof a line item.

• Order a home inspection ($500–$800 in Victoria) and, if the roof is flagged, a roofer's written estimate
• Run the calculator for the house's floor area, storeys and pitch to get a replacement range
• Ask the seller for the last re-roof invoice, warranty documents and any repair receipts
• Check the attic yourself for staining, wet insulation and daylight around penetrations
• Negotiate a price reduction or holdback that covers the low-to-mid replacement range, not the top
• If you plan to keep the house 20+ years, price metal as well as asphalt

Walk if the inspector finds evidence of long-term leaking into the structure: rotten rafters or sheathing over a wide area, mould in the attic, or a sagging ridge line, because those costs are open-ended. Walk if the seller refuses attic or roof access, since disclosure in BC covers only what the seller knows and you will have no way to know more. Everything else, including heavy moss, missing shingles and a roof at the end of its life, is a cost you can quantify and price into the offer.