Another Leak!!! You’ve got pans in the floor, balanced on your furniture and the weather man says it’s not going to let up. You’re going to have days of catching the drips and emptying the pans. You cringe as you watch your kids drag their dog on a towel to mop up some of the drips and just slide past the pan on the kitchen floor!
Time to Fix this Roof Problem Once and For All!!!
BUT… how do you fix the problem? Do you have the existing roof shingles torn off and replaced? Or do you have a new roof overlaid on top of the old roof?
Overlays can save you the roofer’s time, cut down on the labor, and you won’t have any shingles to dispose of or pay the roofer to do it for you.
But consider this…
Your current roof should only be one layer in order to lay flat across the entire roof of your house. Your roof may sag in some parts of the roof which would mean you probably should have your roofer put in more support beams. If it is sagging now, the next layer on top will just add more weight and cause it to sag more between the support beams. That will surely cause more stress on the roof and cause the shingles to separate one from the other and guess what… another leak. If you have not checked, you need to ensure there are not other problems with the roofing deck. If your roof meets all of these requirements, then an overlay could be your best answer.
Whichever method you use, overlay or tear off, check for proper ventilation in your attic. Consistent placement of soffit and ridge vents provide maximum cross ventilation.
Check List
Here’s a check list to help you determine if a complete tear off of your current roofing system should be considered.
Too Many Layers
Check to see how many existing roofing layers there are. You should only have one layer before adding another roofing layer to it. If you already have two or more layers, all layers need to be removed before applying your new roofing material. This is a code requirement in most locations and building codes rarely accept more than two layers. Your local department of building inspectors will be happy to provide the requirements for the code for your compliance.
Bad Decking
When you walk across your roof, spongy or bouncy areas or sag between the rafters or trusses indicate that you may have deteriorating roof deck or damage. Damage may be from dry rot which is wood rot from types of fungi; and if not removed, will spread to other wooden areas. Check for de-lamination of the plywood due to glue failure. With bad decking, tearing off the entire roof is necessary. It is more cost-effective to replace the bad decking now than to have to replace the deck and the roofing material a few years from now. If bad decking is pointed out before the roofing work begins, you will not have a warranty on your new roof.
Poor Condition of Existing Roof
If the existing roofing tabs show signs of wearing out by curling on the edge or appear to be crooked in their placement, these irregularities will eventually show through the new layer of roofing material. It may look okay when first done but as the new shingles settle down on the old irregular roofing, the new material will take on these same ridges and sag. To prevent this, a complete tear-off and replacement is Roof repairs Surrey.
Life Span
While it has not been documented, professional in roofing agree that an overlaid roof will have a shorter lifespan. The shingles of an overlay will be have a shortened lifespan of 10% and maybe as much as 20%.
Incompatible Shingles
Heavy architectural shingles can be used to cover a lighter strip shingle such as 3-tabs will provide a good-looking roof. But never use a lighter weight shingle to try to cover a heavy shingle, It will show all the bumps and ridges from the older roof and will look of poor quality.
Ice Dams
It’s fun to see the icicles coming down from the eaves. They all form differently and look like they’d be so cold. But ice dams coming from your roof can bring another problem to the integrity of your roofing. Where the average winter temperature can be hovering around freezing or below 30° F, there are no ice and water protective membranes, a full roof tear off is your best guarantee. Twenty year old roofs may show no sign of ice and water protection or show signs of any prior problems. But they are subject to having many dollars worth of damage if an unusual cold front blows through. These days we’ve all seen our weather changing and some of our winters giving us more snow and cold than we’ve seen before.
So now you have your check list and you are ready to call the Roofing Contractor. At last, you’re going to get rid of those pans all over the house.
