The Photographs Usually Make It Obvious
A roof with one damaged area and sound shingles everywhere else is a repair. A roof losing granules across every slope, with shingles that crack instead of bending, is past repair.
The difference is visible from the air, which is why we start with the drone. You look at the same pictures we do.
We will not quote a replacement on a roof that needs a repair. Replacement is the biggest job we sell and the easiest one to oversell, so we treat it as the last option, not the first.
If you would rather just have someone look, the drone inspection is free and you keep the photographs.