Need a New Roof? Do your Homework FIRST!!!!

The most important part of your house is the roof and the eavestrough. Most people recognize when their roof is in bad shape and needs replaced. The shingles curl, the grit from the asphalt shingle starts to come off and they get very brittle and you begin losing shingles. The roof below shows a house long over due for a new roof!

 So you decide its time. You need a new roof ASAP! So you go about securing names of companies to contact to gather estimates to see what company you are going to get to put on your new roof.

There are many good roofing companies out there and some that are not! However, not all roofs are created equal! You might get estimates that vary widely from different roofing companies. Sure some companies might be over priced, but usually, the more expensive estimates are offering certain things that others are not. When I have work done around my own home, I want the very best job done possible. I want quality work!

This blog post is designed to help you, as a homeowner, get the very best job possible done on your roof. Here are some of my recommendations:

1. You want FULL strip down of your old shingles! I know that most city by-laws allow you to have two layers of shingles and it is usually cheaper to cover the old shingles rather than strip them off. However, placing new shingles over old has a couple pit falls and they are bad ones! Here they are:

A. You will immediately void your roof warranty on your new roof! That nice 25, 30, 35, 40 year warranty  is immediately gone! They actually now have a lifetime asphalt shingle. The warranty on that shingle will be null and void if you go over a layer of shingles!

B. You will decrease the lifespan of your roof by half if you place it over a layer of shingles! Every roof  is going to get exposed to the sun and will heat up and the UV rays from the sun will damage it over time.

However, if you place new shingles over old, you also create an intense amount of heat and sweating on the underneath side of the shingle thus decreasing the life of your shingles dramatically!

I once had a roofer tell me that an extra layer of shingles added insulation to the home. I don't by that line of reasoning. Even if it were to add insulation value to the home (which it does not), the heat has all ready escaped your home! Bottom line: STRIP OFF ALL THOSE OLD SHINGLES!!!!!!

2. You  want to ask your roofer what he charges per hour should he find rotten roof sheathing that needs  replaced. You do want to have all your sheathing inspected for rot and anything that is visibly rotten needs
to be cut out and replaced. However, you also want the sheathing inspected for wood that is soft and
spongy and have that replaced too. It is the beginning of wood rot.

3. Once you have all those old shingles off and the sheathing in top condition, you want your roofer to install drip edge on the end of your roof sheathing. See picture below:

You need drip edge on your roof because when it rains, the water does not flow down your roof and fall straight off the shingle and into the eavestrough. Water actually follows a plain. When it gets to the last shingle, it will actually curl around the end of the shingle and travel backwards on the underneath side of the shingle. If you do not have drip edge, some of the water may hit hit the wooden roof sheathing and the sheathing will suck it up like a straw! This allows the sheathing to become wet and stay wet and it WILL rot! If you have aluminum drip edge installed, the water will hit the drip edge and it will drop straight into the eavestrough.It will also prevent your roof sheathing from becoming wet.

4. Confirm with your roofer how far he intends to overlap the new shingles beyond the drip edge. He needs only to go about 1/2 inch or so beyond the drip edge! I have see jobs that extend 2 or 3 inches or more beyond the drip edge! Not only is this bad in that you have now radically decreased the size of your eavestroughs, but in a short while, after the shingles have heated up, they will curl and sag into your eavestroughs. 1/2 inch is all you need!

5. You want new tar paper, felt paper or ice and water shield installed before the new shingles go on! See picture below. This roofer is doing it right! Full strip down of old shingles, drip edge, then ice and water shield!

The only problem with the above installation is that the roofer has his ladder directly against the eavestrough and by the time he is done, the eavestroughs will have significant ladder denting. Other than that, the roofing job itself is off to a great start!

6 You want to make sure your roofer is using only tab-less architectural shingles and not the old three tab shingles! The architectural shingles look better and last longer! See the picture below for tabless architectural shingles vs three tab shingles:

Demand to have architectural shingles! They do not cost that much more! Better yet, if you live in or near Hamilton, Ontario, go to AMA Roofing Supplies and look in their show room to get an idea of the types of shingles you want and colours! Their website is: http://www.amaroofingsupplies.com/home.php

7. Consider adding extra roof vents to eradicate excessive heat in your attic. Many attics are extremely under ventilated! Also, your roofer should be putting brand new roof vents on and replacing all old flashing around your roof chimney and other areas.

8. You want to be crystal clear with your roofing company that they will NOT be placing a ladder directly against your eavestrough. Demand that they use a ladder stand off and notify them that if they dent your eavestrough, they will be replacing them! See picture below for an example of a ladder stand off:

9. Confirm with your roofing company that they will be cleaning all the shingle debris out of the eavestrough and on the ground when the job is complete! It is very difficult to clean up every little nail that falls so expect to find some debris in the days after your new roof goes on.

The points above are key to you getting the quality job that you want done. After all, you are the one paying out $5000 or more for a new roof and you want it done right! The information listed here will help you!

Urban Roofing is a company I have seen do quality work. They are based in Hamilton, Ontario. Shawn Stratford is the owner of the company and he is 100% honest and takes no short cuts! They do roofs correctly! To contact Urban Roofing phone: 905-978-7691

Of course, I always encourage obtaining several estimates. However, you need to remember that the cheapest estimate is not what you are looking for. You are wanting the best job done on your roof. So ask lots of questions and cover the points above!

The information and opinions in this blog are my own. I will conclude this article with a picture of a house with a beautiful new roof!

For quality eavestrough work, contact The Eavestrough Company at www.theeavestroughcomany.com or phone us at 905-966-2564.