Roof Replacement – What You Should Know Before You Start
It is very important to have a good understanding of how a roof replacement process works before you embark on any project. A professional roofing contractor can help you make better decisions and give you much better advice if you’re going to have a major roofing job done on your property. If it is time for an upgrade on your roof, it is a good idea to first understand what a full roof replacement entails- and this involves more than just replacing shingle boards. By examining the condition of the shingles and looking at other aspects of the roof, you can tell a great deal about the overall state of the roof.
For many roofers, shingle-board replacement isn’t as important as the actual material itself, but many contractors still want to perform a thorough inspection on the roof before replacing any shingles or tiles. The reason that roofers perform this inspection is to make sure that the roof is in good enough shape to take on the upcoming winter. If there are problems with the roof, it is important to address these issues early in order to keep the roof safe and sound during the harsh months ahead.
The most important piece of the replacement process is the shingle itself. This is the board that is located under the asphalt shingle that is laid over the existing roof. The best shingles will have no more than six nails in them, but some contractors will have more shingle in their stock and use the extra nails in their work. This is one of the biggest mistakes people make when they choose a roof contractor, as they are more apt to choose a Kansas City roofing company that has more nails in their inventory, regardless of the quality of those nails.
Once the shingle is replaced, you will also want to make sure that there is no more shingle present on the other end of the roof. When the shingle is removed, you’ll need to have the rest of the roof repaired or replaced. The type of repair that needs to be done will be based on the condition of the roof at the time of replacement, so it is important to make sure that the repairs are made as soon as possible after the shingle is removed. If your roofing materials were extremely weak before the replacement, you may need to go through a whole roof replacement and have the roof repaired as a unit instead of as well. If you have a shingle on both sides of the roof at the same time, you should replace only the shingle and not both at once, as this can cause more problems than it solves.
An important consideration when having a replacement roof installed is that the entire roof should be replaced instead of just one or two sections. Often times, if two sections of the roof were not constructed properly and have been neglected over the years, the roof was never meant to be installed. If one side of the roof was improperly installed, it may only be a matter of getting the replacement roof together correctly. While it may be tempting to just take the existing roof down and replace it all at once, that may not be the best approach.
As mentioned before, the replacement roof should also be inspected before installation, since it can be a very difficult and potentially dangerous undertaking to perform if the problem is in one or two areas only. If the roofing material is damaged, there is a chance that the damage will be covered up and the new roof will be installed correctly, even if it is damaged in other areas. You may need to contact a replacement roofing contractor to help you out, but this might cost more money than you were willing to pay for it. If the damaged areas of the roof are difficult to repair or if the old roofing materials are not available, the roofer will likely be able to come in and perform the repair or replacement for you.