Looking to have a new roof done.

[Lucky1]

I need to get a new roof and have someone who will do one. I think that it is too cold??? It is a two bedroom ranch with garage and a porch and breezeway. What temperatures are needed to have a roof be done well. I don't want brittle shingles that crack when they put in the nails or screws or whatever, etc. I am also wanting to strip the old roof that is 30 years old but not leaking. A couple of shingles have moved though. What do people think of stripping the old roof as I seem to think that might be better but get people on both sides.

I don't know much about roofs. What do I have to be careful of with the worker? Thanks for any help. He seems to know what he is talking about and this has been his trade he says. I certainly don't want to end up with a new roof that leaks. Thanks for any help.

[upthesaukee]

When we had our roof put on a few years back, here in Alton, it is against code to put a new roof over old. Must strip old off. And I can tell you that I am glad we did. We found some faulty construction when we got down to bare roof, and were able to fix the problem instead of covering it up.

[Kerk]

I would wait until warmer weather and also be sure to have the Water & Ice shield added at least one width (3 Feet) . I also would want to have the roof stripped and checked before just covering what might be there. jmo

[songkrai]

A good roofer is hit or miss.
Seems all carpenters claim to be roofers.

Get some references.

To do it correctly you should have shingles removed. Ice and Water Shield sometimes called Bitchathane should be used. On most new homes this material is used over entire roof.

Use new drip edge. Aluminum will not rust. If trim boards are old or chipping paint then use new primed trim boards. If you have a chimney make sure lead flashing is in good condition and the shingles are flashed properly.


Most codes allow two layers of shingles on roof. You are better to have roof stripped as stated above.

Use only 30+ year shingles. Archetectual shingles are best as no seams to collect pine needles.

If you need a recommendation for an excellent roofer you can PM me. I do not wish to post any names without persons permission.

[Two dobys]

I had my roof replaced a couple years ago. It was totally stripped to plywood, had ice and water shield installed over whole roof and new flashing. Used the 30 yr shingles also. Good luck,

[DickR]

Indeed, Grace's Ice & Water Shield or a similar product must be applied at the roof edge, going at least to a point two feet past where the wall is underneath. The rolls are three feet wide, so that a single roll will suffice for an overhang up to a foot past the walls. A wider overhang will require a second roll. The material also should be applied over valleys in the roof surface.

Whether or not to apply the material over the whole roof requires some thought. It may be appropriate for a roof with very low pitch. For a more normal roof pitch of, say, 5/12 or steeper, total coverage is not required. There also is the matter of permeability; the stuff is a complete vapor barrier, meaning the roof deck will not dry to the outside and thus must be able to dry to the interior. This is not a problem if there is a vented attic space underneath, hopefully with continuous ridge and soffit vents. If you have a cathedral ceiling below, with vapor retarder and insulation applied directly to the rafters, then you really should not have Ice & Water Shield applied to the whole roof surface.

If you don't have ridge and soffit venting, a reroof is a good time to have such venting added. Simple gable end vents really don't do an adequate job of venting. If you have gone into the attic in winter and found that there is a lot of dampness under the roof deck, this tells you two things. First, there is too much leakage of air (and humidity) from the house into the attic space, costing you a lot of heat and creating conditions favorable to rot and mold on the roof deck. Losing heat to the attic also can result in a lot of ice dam formation and the damage that can cause. Second, the moisture that gets into the attic is not being vented properly. Continuous ridge and soffit venting takes care of this.

[sky's]

Indeed, Grace's Ice & Water Shield or a similar product must be applied at the roof edge, going at least to a point two feet past where the wall is underneath. The rolls are three feet wide, so that a single roll will suffice for an overhang up to a foot past the walls. A wider overhang will require a second roll. The material also should be applied over valleys in the roof surface.

Whether or not to apply the material over the whole roof requires some thought. It may be appropriate for a roof with very low pitch. For a more normal roof pitch of, say, 5/12 or steeper, total coverage is not required. There also is the matter of permeability; the stuff is a complete vapor barrier, meaning the roof deck will not dry to the outside and thus must be able to dry to the interior. This is not a problem if there is a vented attic space underneath, hopefully with continuous ridge and soffit vents. If you have a cathedral ceiling below, with vapor retarder and insulation applied directly to the rafters, then you really should not have Ice & Water Shield applied to the whole roof surface.

If you don't have ridge and soffit venting, a reroof is a good time to have such venting added. Simple gable end vents really don't do an adequate job of venting. If you have gone into the attic in winter and found that there is a lot of dampness under the roof deck, this tells you two things. First, there is too much leakage of air (and humidity) from the house into the attic space, costing you a lot of heat and creating conditions favorable to rot and mold on the roof deck. Losing heat to the attic also can result in a lot of ice dam formation and the damage that can cause. Second, the moisture that gets into the attic is not being vented properly. Continuous ridge and soffit venting takes care of this.

all of the points mentioned above are very good. Never let a roofer talk you into a "go over" or add a second layer, reduces the life of the top layer by as much as 10+ years. Ice and Water Shield is a very good product and yes depending on your roof pitch will determine on how much to use. A roofer that recomends only 3 ft course on the bottom may also be using a cheap underlayment like felt paper or tar paper a good undelayment like IKO Roof Guard is a very good underlayment combined with Ice and Water Shield or IKO Gold Shield. and most importantly is roof venting can't express that enough. soffit vents combined with a ridge vent is very important. i worked on a home this summer that has no venting what so ever the home owner thinks they have a great house maybe but the last roofing company failed to inst a venting system, the current roof that is less than 10 years old looks like it is 20 years old because of lack of air flow. and last but not least don't take the lowest bid and make sure your contractor is INSURED. sorry if this seems overwhelming but there is a lot homework that needs to be done and this forum is a good start. best wishes if you need help you can call me or send me a e-mail.:):):)

[Dave R]

I highly recommend a standing seam metal roof instead of shingles. They are much easier to install, last a lifetime, and are much less likely to leak. I just put one on an addition I built to cover my boat and I can't wait to install it on the rest of the house.

[Belmont Resident]

I also would highly recommend metal. It comes in a variety of colors to match almost any application.
Also I’ve heard the same thing about recoating. It does take years away from the life of the product on top and is no longer recommended.
I can say I have had one of my customers use Affordable Metal roofing and they did a great job, but I have no other knowledge of them.
I will say I heard enough bad things said via homeowners and other contractors that I would not recommend Total Concepts Roofing in Laconia.
If you do go shingles I would recommend using ice & water shield on as much of the roof as you can. Overkill, maybe but it is self sealing so you should never have to worry about leaks. I us it when ever I replace siding on my house. I go 3 feet up from the ground with this product.
One drawback to metal is you cannot walk on it in the winter. I found this out the hard way. I used it on a shed dormer. Big mistake, not enough pitch to shed snow. This summer I’m removing the metal and installing a rubber roof.
Good luck.

[XJLPS]

Piper roofing or Page roofing both are trained certified roofing installers .

[SIKSUKR]

Another benefit of stripping the old shingles became apparent when I did mine.There was some noticable seems across the roof trough the shingles.When looking at the sheathing the span between the framing allowed for the sheathing to bow different directions and having high spots shortened the life of the shingles by having a crease on the protruding sheathing.On new construction most builders will install "H" clips in the middle between the framing to keep the 2 butting sheets on the same plane.I found an easy way to install them without pulling up the sheathing.Simply drilled a hole at the butt joint just big enough for the clip and slid them in place.Worked great.

[boo]

My name is Corey Boucher, owner of blue moon builders in Gilford.
I agree with many of the comments left by other posts an would like to talk with you further about your project.
I have done extensive roofing projects around the lakes region, from asphalt shingles to standing seam metal roofs and have extensive knowledge and training.
i give written guarantees on all my work, and have done numerous projects for other forum members.
please feel free to call me (603) 393-5229 or email me at bluemoonbuilders@msn.com to discuss your options and get you some free, no obligation quotes on different roof options.

Thank you,
Corey

[moose tracks]

I also would highly recommend metal roofing. I had the raised rib panel type installed on my garage a year ago by Affordable Steel Roofing from Laconia. They did a great job and I was very satisfied.

[songkrai]

I also would highly recommend metal roofing. I had the raised rib panel type installed on my garage a year ago by Affordable Steel Roofing from Laconia. They did a great job and I was very satisfied.

I agree.

But cost is/or can be substantially more.

And the quality of metal roofs varies greatly.

[Lucky1]

The person who wants to do it says he would like do get it done. I will strip the old roof as I had planned to do and use the 30 year shingles. I need a specific kind of any other material. It was built as a two bedroom ranch with a basement that was already inexpensively finished when I purchased the home. There is also an entrance breezeway that is the house on one side and a two car garage on the other side. There is also a roof over the small porch on the lake side.

1. Is it too cold now?
2. Need to know more about the "under the shingle material" and the ice dam or whatever. The house is extremely well insulated with double paned Anderson windows and there must be tons of insulation under the awful T1 eleven that is pulling apart at the bottom on the part that sits in the snow. I am paying for materials and some of the work. The rest is from a car that I am trading for work.

I would like to know what to look for as I am going to be there. He said there is a "dead strip" that would not be seen and I have some 30 year shingles that were not used when I did the roof here that he said could be used as nothing happens to shingles that are wrapped etc. He said the sun dries them out and makes the brittle but that material of the others would be fine for the "dead strip". Is this true? I had them in the garage here after having the roof done back near 2000. He seems like a nice fellow and did some fascia board and soffit work here. We used the new PVC material and so far I think it is OK. He wants to do the job now as he will get busy with the union soon? No idea?

I am having the roof stripped and he has been to the attic and looked at the plywood for any leaks etc. He did not want to strip it but I always said that I wanted it stripped. It only has the original layer but it is 30 years old and only regular material shingles on it that are not in good shape so best to get rid of those. They have done a good job for 30 years but are ready to go where old shingles go. How do I get rid of the old material?

[no-engine]

Answer: Standing seam galvanized, with proper venting from soffits to ridge.
Best thing I did five years ago; snow slides off, and unnecessary for me to climb up and shovel or scoop off snow!

[Happy Gourmand]

The good news is that the snow slides right off.
The bad news is that the snow slides right off.
:)

[CateP]

The good news is that the snow slides right off.
The bad news is that the snow slides right off.
:)

Yeah. Actually some friends of mine had a metal roof avalanche and it crushed the grill they had underneath. Guess it's a good idea to move objects from under the roof eh? I wonder about landscaping though. Crushed bushes.

[jmen24]

Yeah. Actually some friends of mine had a metal roof avalanche and it crushed the grill they had underneath. Guess it's a good idea to move objects from under the roof eh? I wonder about landscaping though. Crushed bushes.

Cate, all of those things are treated the same way as your friends grill. The roof was on my house when I bought it and I would never put another on a house after this one.

Even digging into the snow banks with my tractor is a chore. I lose access to a first floor door, due to the concrete snow that piles on the elevated stoop. Bushes need to be really hardy and even those require constant attention, though the bushes should be a fair distance away from the house to prevent rotting the house anyway.

Two years ago the build up above my vent pipe released all at once and sheared off my 3in copper vent at the roof line. That is a chore that you do not want to deal with in January on a metal roof.

Not having to climb on the roof is great, but not being able to climb on the roof makes clearing build-up a no go.

A barn or outbuilding, would use it all day.