Looks like we're getting a new roof. Anything we should know or ask about first?

In My Humble Opinion
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The Firebug and I were in his bedroom Saturday evening, towards the end of a very rainy day, when he said, “Daddy, there’s a leak.” And sure enough, water was dripping from the heat/AC vent in the ceiling.

The bedroom’s on the second floor, with only the attic above it. So after putting a bucket down to catch the drip, I crawled into the attic, and there was a wet spot maybe 18" in diameter in the fiberboard* of the roof, directly above the vent. Since it was way out toward the edge of the house, where the height of the crawl space converges to zero, even an old caver like me could only get within a few feet. But clearly the rain was getting through the shingles above, soaking through the fiberboard, and dripping through the vent.

The roof is 25 years old, since that’s how old the house is. So it would probably be about time for a new roof soon, even if this hadn’t happened. So I’m thinking that even if there’s a way to patch this one spot, we might as well do the whole thing and get it over with.

So, questions:

  1. A ‘new roof’ usually means just the shingles and whatever liner goes between the shingles and the wood of the roof, right? Or does it generally mean replacing the fiberboard as well?

  2. If the former, would they/should they replace the sheet where the dripping was? Or should it be fine, once they get the new roof in place?

  3. What sort of warranty should I expect from a reputable company?

  4. If I’m considering solar panels up there in the not-too-distant future, is there anything I should know or ask about?

  5. Anything I haven’t thought to ask about, that I should?

Thanks in advance. I’m hoping Irma doesn’t come this way, because I don’t expect we’ll move that fast on this.

  • I think that’s the right term - stuff that’s used like sheets of plywood, only it’s made of what looks like a whole bunch of smallish scraps of wood melded together.
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Yes, just the shingles. Assuming you have sheathing on the whole roof. You might have to replace any sheets that are damaged or if there is rot. It should be plywood on your roof, not fiberboard.

No need to replace unless there is rot.

At least 5 years, and preferably 7.

Get the stand-off installed before you do the roof, and get a conduit pre-placed so you can run the wiring to the inverter once that goes in (usually in your garage). But have a company give you a analysis of your home’s solar capability. They usually do that for free, and it tells you how long to break even, and then how much you’ll save over the life of the system. Solar is the way to go, baby, if you can. My roof sucks for solar, or I’d have put in years ago.

You can get a 30-year, 40-year or “lifetime” roof. If you’re my age, you go for the 30 year. :slight_smile: (just kidding. get the 40-year)

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  1. It means the shingles, the liner, the roof vent (if you have one), the flashing, and any fiberboard (I call it plywood) that is rotted, damaged, or fragile. That’ll cost extra per board.

  2. They’ll certainly replace that board and any others that show signs of deterioration. Expect to pay, I don’t know, $30-$50 per board? Totally guessing here, but for a single family home, maybe two boards? Obviously that’s a shot in the dark, never having seen your house.

  3. I got a 10-year warranty on the materials. That’s just me, though.

  4. Dunno.

  5. Shop around. I got two bids for $7,000 and $5,000 respectively. I took the $5k, only to find out my neighbor got an identical roof for $3k that very same week.

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How do your gutters look? If they will need replacing in the near future, now would be the time to have it done, while the crew is already out there and on your roof.

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We had our roof replaced in 2001. Before I signed a contract I emailed a good friend of mine who owns a roofing company in Colorado Springs and asked for advice. (We’re in Ohio.) He sent me an email of things to do, and I still have the email. Here it is:

 Insist on 30 lb. felt paper, not 15 lb. It is a little more expensive but well worth it.

 When the crew leaves for the day, no felt paper should be exposed, as high winds can tear the felt. This is called “weathering it in.” This usually requires the roof to be done in sections.

 Make sure they use plastic caps when laying felt paper. They should not use use regular roofing nails.

 The roof should be shingled in sections (i.e. tear off, felt paper, and roof on the same day.)

 They must first put a starter row down along the gutter. But before that, they should put metal down (drip edge). On the sides, they should install rake edge. The metal goes on-top the felt paper, then the starter row, then the stair-step. For the drip/rake edges use brown baked on enamel finish, not silver finish.

 Have them put “ice and water guard” down on low sloped pitch areas. This must be bonded to the wood directly, so all felt paper must come off. Make sure they don’t nail it down – it must be stuck down. Felt paper is not needed. Inspect wood here, too.

 On the chimney, if they replace the flashing, make sure they use ice and water guard around and up the chimney, and then put metal flashing on top of that.

 Make sure they use roof-over-ridge vent. When they perform the cutting, make sure its not so deep that they cut the trusses, and make sure it is 2" wide at a minimum. It should be cut evenly on both sides (important).

 Install new pipe collars on all drain vents.

 Get a copy of their liability insurance. Get a copy of their certificate of workers comp. Get and follow up on 4 recent references.

 Use 25 or 30 year shingles from a reputable company (e.g. Certainteed, Tamko Heritage, GAF-Elk).

 Pay nothing up front, and 100% upon completion and my satisfaction. Get a minimum of a 5 year no leak warranty on labor.

 Sign contract in the beginning. Everything should be in the contract, including picking up debris and hauling it away, felt paper, color, type, warranty, etc. Include all of the above stuff I mentioned! Contract should also have a start data and completion date. The contract should also state, “The completion date can be altered based on weather, but work should be completed ASAP in a prompt and professional manner.”

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Some companies will throw in a few sheets of underlayment as an incentive. They’ll also look at your soffets, eave jacks and other wooden members for rot.

Once the roof is done: If in the future (during your warranty period) you have anybody do work on your roof that involves a penetration, call your roofer and ask them if this will affect the warranty. My roofer came out and inspected my contractor’s flashing and sealing for free when I had a new installation.

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Last year, and likely this year (you should check), if a new roof or portion of a roof was necessary in order to install solar panels the same year, there was a 30% federal tax credit for the roof replacement. If still in effect, you may consider roof repair until you’re ready for the solar panels.

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Excellent list.
That would be a very well-done roof. In my homeowner opinion better than the vast majority, so expect to pay more for that level of quality.

Most important, make sure you get a copy of the installer’s liability insurance. If anyone gets hurt on the job, you will be the first to hear about it. Roofers pay a lot for insurance, lots of them skip it. And the insurers will try to avoid paying in the hope that the homeowner’s insurance will pay. If that happens and someone gets hurt, you will be liable (it is your job site).

It is ALL about the written contract. Assume nothing that isn’t written down will be done.

In Md. I think 25 or 30 yr shingles are fine. Back when I saw lots of roofs being done (after Katrina), the 40 year shingles were not worth the extra cost. They weren’t expected to really last that long and cost a lot.

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Oh, and I agree on the weight of the felt. Even though according to several roofers I have talked about over the years, the felt doesn’t really do anything. It is put on to give the owner piece of mind. But it isn’t a significant water barrier. Nevertheless I would never skip it.

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I selected shingles with copper granules that resists mold and mildew.

15 years later there are no black streaks on my roof. A lot of my neighbors homes look like this.
https://goo.gl/images/PbDUtG

It doesn’t cost much more. IIRC it was at most an additional $300 for the shingles.

It’s offered in many brands.

Google Algae resistant shingles

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I got a new roof about six weeks ago. I am still occasionally finding roofing nails on my lawn or driveway (see my thread about this here)

So, ask if your company runs a large magnet over the grounds as part of clean up. One response in my thread said their roofer even guaranteed that they would pay to repair any flat tires for the first six months or so.

My only other tip: We don’t have a bathroom exhaust fan and I knew I would install one at some point. I asked our guy to install the exhaust vent when doing the roof. Still haven’t installed the fan yet, but I have the roof vent ready to go. Plan ahead and consider if you may need some sort of vent installed in the future.
mmm

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Tip: cover everything in your attic with drop cloths before the job begins. The work will drop a lot of debris and it gets everywhere.

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Go with a commercial company that does residential jobs to fill in the schedule if you can. I can recommend a national company that may or may not have a location in your area if you want.

I went this route twice: in my last house, I was on year ~27 of a 30 year roof. The inspector recommended a handful of things (fixing a few areas of flashing, tuckpointing the chimney, replacing a few vent boots, and fixing some nail pops) to the tune of $800. We also got an estimate from a local place that advertises on TV and AM Radio ($20,000 for our 1,400 sq ft 2-story) and one from a tweaker friend of a friend of a friend ($3,000 to lay down a new layer of shingles.)

We sold the place earlier this year . I got my hands on the buyer’s inspe,00ction report and the FHA appraisal, and both listed the roof in “good” condition.

At our new place, the roof was in bad shape and needed to be replaced immediately due to winter / storm damage compounded by age. We insisted the seller replace it, using the contractor from our old house. We got a 40 year roof with a lifetime transferable warranty on all parts and labor, replaced a few sheets of plywood, added ridge and hip vents, and enlarged the inadequate soffit vents for $16,000 on our 2,700 sq ft 2-story.

The only downside was that in both cases, they don’t really book a set day and time to do the work. They slot in a day’s (or half-day’s) work as the labor an materials are available. The $800 job took about 3 weeks to complete but maybe five hours of actual applied time. And they weren’t all that concerned with giving us advanced warning - they’d just show up and climb up on the roof on random days to install a stack boot or something when they happened to be in the neighborhood. If you can deal with that level of scheduling uncertainty, it’s definitely the way to go.

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Also make sure the roofers do a thorough job with a rolling magnet to get all the dropped nails or you’ll be picking them up for years and possibly pulling them out of your tires.

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Random add on - check if the warranties (materials and work) are transferable. Our new windows have a transferable warranty, and I plan on using that as a selling point, when we decide to put it on the market.

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If you have a ridge vent, make sure you get a ridge vent when you’re done. I made the mistake of allowing them to swap a ridge vent for several smaller vents . It doesn’t work as well, you really want a ridge vent.

No need to replace the sheathing if it hasn’t rotted. They probably allowed for a couple sheets in their estimate. I’d ask for the cost difference between removing the old shingles and shingling over them. If it isn’t too much, I’d have them rip the old off. Saves weight that you might want for snow.

If you have ornamental plants near the eave line, I’d cover them so they don’t get rained on by debris from the project.

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We had a new roof put on a few years ago. We live near an Amish community, and one option (we never really looked into) was an Amish metal roof. They must be less expensive than a traditional roof, given how many I see around here.

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Sunlight is actually the thing that decomposes roofing shingles the most, so make sure your new roof can be folded up and put away during sunny weather …

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hahaha … had you going there for a second didn’t I? … hahaha

If I read OP correctly, they only have one layer of shingles up there right now … nothing wrong with just pounding down another layer of shingles right on top the old … we’d lose 10% or 20% of the listed lifespan of the shingles … but this is something most any homeowner can do without any specialized equipment …

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Thanks, everyone, especially Crafter_Man for that excellent list!

John Mace: The more southerly side of our roof gets LOTS of sunlight all year round. So while I’ll get my free analysis first, I’d be really surprised if that side of the roof was less than ideal for solar.

But I expect that the need for a new roof is going to get progressively more urgent if we get a series of heavy rains. So if I hold off to talk to a solar panel company about the conduit and the stand-offs, it adds a level of complexity to things. If it’s just the roof, I can do it now. If it’s roof and solar, it might be months. I’m just gonna have to take my chances that the eventual solar installers won’t ruin my new roof.

Chessic Sense: we’ve already got 3 recommendations from people in our neighborhood who’ve gotten new roofs recently. So that should give us some numbers to compare, assuming they all have workmen’s comp, etc.

Tastes of Chocolate: had new gutters put in ~5 years ago, the kind that keep the leaves out. (One of the best decisions I’ve made as a homeowner.) They’re still in very good shape.

Crafter_Man: Great list! One question: when you say, “Make sure they use roof-over-ridge vent,” I’m not sure what this means. I don’t have a ridge vent. So is this something that doesn’t apply?

More later. But seriously, thanks, everyone!