Category Archives: Roofing Work

A well-constructed roof should last from ten to twenty years, depending on weather conditions and the materials used in its construction; however, no roof is expected to continue forever. Most roofs will require a certain amount of maintenance and repair on an annual basis. It is to your advantage to have an understanding of basic roofing fundamentals, even if you do not intend to do the work yourself because such knowledge can save you money when you deal with professional roofers. You will be able to appraise the work better as it is being done. If you feel that laying a new roof or repairing a roof will be too complicated for you to handle, then contact a reputable roofing firm. Many are listed in the Yellow Pages, but you should check with the local Better Business Bureau about your choice before signing any contracts or making any commitments. The Better Business Bureau may have a file of complaints against the firm you choose (being in the Yellow Pages are only a listing, not a seal of approval). Never allow a door-to-door salesman to talk you into a “cut-rate” job. Very few reputable roofing firms do business this way. Continue reading Roofing Fundamentals and Safety Practices →

There are many outstanding roofing companies, and your job, if you contract, is to find the right company. Your roof is a long-term investment spanning twenty to thirty-five years. This places you in the position of dealing with a contractor who knows you won’t need his services again for twenty years or longer. Once you have paid your contractor for completing your roof, the only residual value he can gain from you is the referral work you send him. A top quality contractor lives by referrals and will make sure his customers are pleased. The flip side of this is that once you have paid your contractor for completing your roof, the only residual value he can gain from you is the referral work you send him. A disreputable contractor doesn’t care about references from you. There are enough easy marks out there that he doesn’t give a rip about anything but slapping your roof on as quickly as possible and getting your money. Things could be worse. Your contractor could take your deposit and disappear forever. Things could be worse still. He could screw up the job so badly that you suffer extensive damage to your home especially the interior. Continue reading Roof Contracting – Preparing to hire a Professional Roofer →

All you need to know about roofing

Whether you will contract or do it yourself, there are specific decisions that need to be made. Color is extremely important not only aesthetically, but also as a matter of energy efficiency and durability. Installation of additional ventilation including power ventilators is important for comfort and energy consumption. Tool and clothing tips are important to the do-it-yourselfer. Read the following sections and combine the facts (and opinions) with your personal preferences and tastes, so you can decide which best suit you and your home. Continue reading Roofing Basics →

If you are doing the work yourself, you need to order your materials. There is only one way to find out what you need and that’s to get up on the roof and measure. But first, if there has been a problem with leaking, go up in your attic and check for rotten sheathing (plywood or planks) and rotten rafters. If an area of the roof is bad, you’ll see it from the attic and won’t get any surprises (like falling through) when you walk on the roof. Continue reading Roof Computations for an Overlay and Preparations for the Job →

If your home has the original (or only one) shingle roof on it, the building code allows you to overlay it once with a new roof. If your roof has already been overlaid once, you must tear off both the overlay and the original roof down to the plywood or plank sheathing. Weight is a key reason for the maximum limit of two roof systems on a home. 22 squares = 66 bundles: 66 bundles x 75 lbs./ bundle = 4,960 lbs.: 4,960 lbs./2,000 lbs./ton = 2.48 tons Overlaying this roof will double the amount of the permanent weight, or “dead load,” to a total of five tons. This is within the code. If someone disregards the code and puts on three roofs, they now have seven and a half tons overhead. Ice or snow will add tons of weight (“dead load”). Wind causes loading, but the wind is shifting and variable so it is considered a “live load.” Seven and a half tons of roofing material and a few tons of snow and ice combined with the “live load” from a blast of high wind can cause a roof to fail without warning. Continue reading Overlaying the Original Roof (roof-over) →

The methods for tying in and flashing various roof penetrations and structures are similar for an over-lay or a tear-off. The difference is that the overlay often requires only the final few steps of the several that would have been required if you were working on a complete tear-off (or new roof). If you are overlaying your roof, it is helpful for you to know what is underneath your old shingles. The knowledge of how the work was done originally will help you understand why you are doing certain things on your overlay. Let’s review the reasons an old roof should be torn off: 1.    There are already two complete roofs on the house, the original plus one overlay. If your home is in the forty-year age range, chances are good it already has two roofs. Continue reading Roof Tear-Off and Structural Repair →