Roof Replacement Starts with Check List

Roof Replacement Starts With Checklist

Q: I live in a home that was built in 1971, and it needs a new roof. I really don't know much about the maintenance that has been done on the home, but I would be willing to bet it still has the original roof. It does have leaks, and I am starting to get estimates on a roof replacement.

My fear is that I will not know what I am doing and will end up with an expensive disaster. Is there any way you could help me? Perhaps suggest someone in the metro Atlanta area who is trustworthy and does good work. What is an estimate on what it should cost?

It is a single-story, small brick ranch with two-car carport. It is between 1,400 and 1,500 square feet. I would appreciate any help you could give me.

A: You are proceeding in the right direction by first obtaining bids for the roof's replacement, but I'm not familiar with contractors in your area. In order to protect your interest and to ensure the bidding is competitive, do not let the contractors know whom you have received bids from, and make sure they do not arrive at your home at the same time.

As for your roof, I would be surprised to find a 35- to 36-year- old asphalt shingle, located in a sun-belt state, that was not leaking or seriously damaged.

The ultra violet radiation from the sun deteriorates the shingles by breaking down their molecular structure, which causes the shingles to degrade and lose their protective colored granules.

Maybe you have a different type of roof covering such as wood shakes or maybe a metal roof. Hand-split cedar shakes might last 35 years and a metal roof could last much longer, so be aware of what you have before "replacing" the roof covering. I would not recommend adding asphalt/fiberglass shingles over cedar shakes because the nails used to install asphalt shingles split the cedar and they do not bond very well.

Also know that cedar shakes as well as some metal roof coverings are applied over small slats attached to the roof's rafters. If the roof structure does not have an underlayment to attach the shingles, you will have to shell out the costs of adding 4-by-8 sheets of OSB (orinated stran board) or plywood.

When pricing a new roof, there are several items that need to be considered if you already have a proper underlayment:

e An underlayment sheet of fiberglass or felt paper.

e Self-adhesive rubber sheets to be placed at the drip edge and against dormers.

e Replacing the metal drip edge at the gutter line and at the gabled ends.

e Metal flashings and counter flashings.

e Soil pipe flashings.

e Roof ventilation (see www.core-a-vent.com for venting solutions).

e New gutters may be needed once the roofers have finished -- gutters are not usually included in the total cost.

As you can see, there are a lot of variables in estimating a roof -- not to mention the variety of shingle styles available. I made a few inquiries to Atlanta roofers and found that your style of roof on a one-story home will cost anywhere from $170 per square (one square =100 square feet) to $200 per square. A typical 1,500 square foot ranch home has approximately 20 squares of roofing for a total outlay of about $4,000.

Evansville resident C. Dwight Barnett is a certified master inspector with the American Society of Home Inspectors. Write to him with home improvement questions at C. Dwight Barnett, Evansville Courier & Press, P.O. Box 268, Evansville, Ind. 47702. His e-mail address is d.barnett@insightbb.com.

(c) 2007 Evansville Courier & Press. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.

Source: Evansville Courier & Press
Publish Date: 2007-02-11