While looking at your home's shingled roof, you may feel confident that it is still in good condition. Since there are no obvious signs of problems, such as missing shingles and flashing or bowing of the roof line, you may believe that you do not need to have it replaced.

However, while examining your roof, you also need to look for minor signs that could indicate major issues with the roof's basic structures. Below are a couple of subtle signs that indicate that it is time to have the roof professionally inspected to see if it needs to be replaced.

1. Multiple Nails Are Coming Loose and Sticking up out of the Shingles

One subtle sign that your shingled roof should be replaced sooner rather than later is when you see nails sticking up out of the shingles when you stand on a ladder at the edge of the roof. You may even find them laying in the gutters or on the ground around your house. 

If multiple roofing nails are becoming loose, starting to stick up, or falling out completely, this usually indicates a widespread problem with deteriorating shingles or softened decking that is not able to hold onto the fasteners. Since this is often an indicator of overall structural damage, you should have a roofing inspection to see if it needs to be replaced.

2. Edges Along Many of the Roofing Shingles Have Taken on a Wavy Appearance

Another sign that is easy to miss during a precursor visual inspection of your home's roof is when the edges of the shingles take on a wavy appearance. While looking for loose nails, examine the shingles' edges to see if they have started to curl up or bow under.

If the edges are no longer flat against the roof, the shingles are becoming dried out and starting to deteriorate, which causes them to curl or bow to leave small gaps that allow water to run underneath them. Especially if the wave appearance is present on many of the shingles, you should have a roofing replacement professional look at them.

Even if you do not see any obvious signs of damage to your home's roofing shingles, if multiple nails have become loose and are sticking up or being found on the ground, the shingles or the decking may be deteriorating bad enough that the nails will not stay tight in the material. You may also find that the edges of the roofing shingles are curling up or bowing under, giving them a wavy appearance. If so, contact a roofing replacement service to schedule an appointment for an inspection to see if you need to have a new roof installed on your house.