Reroofing Information for New Projects

When should you decide to replace your existing shingle roof? There are plenty of factors in play when it comes to making the decision to replace your roofing. Is your roofing 20 plus years old? Are there noticeable signs of deterioration i.e. curling, absent, bald, or badly ruined roofing shingles? Has your house been exposed to bad weather such as hail, high wind, ice, or maybe even a direct impact from flying debris? Have you discovered a lot of granules inside your rain gutters and downspouts? Have you noticed any sagging portions of your roof? Do you see any signs that there might be or has been a leak, like brown spots on your dry wall or maybe even black mold growth? These are all indications that it is time for you to think about roof replacement!

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Starting your own Roofing Project

If you’ve determined that your home is in need of a roof replacement, your next step is to decide whether to go with a reroof or a tear-off roof replacement project. Our roofing contractors will work with you to figure out which roof replacement technique will work best for your home and your existing roof’s condition.

Reroof vs Tear-off Roof

Reroof

re-roof occurs whenever a roofing company installs a second layer of shingle over a pre-existing layer. The majority of village or town code provisions allow only up to 2 layers of roofing shingles.

Tear-off

tear-off roof occurs when you get rid of all existing layers of shingles down to the roof deck. Tear-off roofing enables you to inspect the rooftop decking and add the installation of new ice and water shield and fresh felt paper.

Things to Consider when Reroofing or Tear-off Roof

Bad Decking

As a homeowner, if you are able to walk your roof and you notice areas that are spongy or you see sagging between the rafters or trusses, there’s a good chance that some of the roof deck may be deteriorating or damaged. Deterioration can be attributed to a number of factors which could be attributed to delaminating of the plies in the plywood due to glue failure or moisture. Dry rot is wood rot caused by certain types of mildew, and if it is not taken care of, it could spread to other parts in the attic. If there is suspicion of bad decking, its best to replace it now.

Ice Dams

Ice dams can be a big problem, especially in Chicagoland’s Western & Northern Suburbs. If you don’t have an ice and water shield protection membrane present on a roof, then a full tear-off should be considered. Twenty year old buildings with no ice and water protection and no prior problems, can suddenly experience thousands of dollars in damage when a cold front hits.

Incompatible Roof Shingles

If a heavy weight architectural style roof shingle is used to cover a light weight strip shingle such as 3-tabs, then the roof will look good. However, if a light weight shingle is used to cover a heavy weight shingle, the light weight shingles have a tendency to show all the bumps and ridges (called telegraphing) and they won’t look good.

Current Roof is in Poor Condition

If the roof shingles and roof decking are in really bad condition, such as extreme curling or large areas of granular loss, then a complete tear-off and replacement roof should be considered.

Please feel free to contact us for more information about re-roofing and tear-off roofing projects.