5 Things to Consider When Replacing the Roof on Your Home

Advancements in the residential roofing market have made replacing a roof a once-in-a-lifetime event for many homeowners. Purchasing a new roof is one of the most important home improvements that occur and is typically a big investment in one of your most valuable assets. It’s important to understand these five factors before you replace your roof.

1. Roof Sheathing – It is important to replace any damaged or deteriorated sheathing before your new roof is installed. The best way to accomplish this is to tear off the old roof system and perform an inspection of the roof sheathing. The sheathing is typically wood planks (1×6, 1×8, etc.) or wood panels (OSB or Plywood). If roof leaks have occurred for an extended period of time, wood replacement is likely required. Some homes were designed with roof sheathing that is too thin to support the weight of roofing materials as well as snow and ice. It is important to have an estimator walk your roof or look in your attic space to determine the integrity of your roof sheathing.

2. Flashings – Since most shingle manufacturers offer warranties up to 50 years, it’s important that all of the accessories on your roof will last 50 years as well. Flashings are the most important accessory of all. Flashings are required at any roof penetration such as vertical walls, chimneys, skylights, plumbing vents, and roof edges. Make sure you remove the old flashings and replace them with new ones if you want a roof system that will perform for years to come. It is much more expensive to repair or replace flashings at a later date.

3. Ventilation – The goal of an attic ventilation system is to keep the temperature of the attic space similar to that of the ambient air temperature. Attic ventilation is most important during the winter and summer and less important during the spring and fall. In the summer, ventilation will help cool the attic space and minimize the expansion and contraction of the shingles. In the winter, ventilation will help prevent condensation, mold growth, and ice dams as warm and moist air is exhausted from the attic. Deer Park Roofing recommends a balanced ventilation system with similar amounts of intake ventilation and exhaust ventilation. The intake and exhaust ventilation can be measured in square inches of Net Free Vent Area or (NFVA).

4. Underlayment – Asphalt saturated roofing felt has performed well for over 100 years in this area. Ice and water shield is a newer waterproofing membrane that is used on roofing systems with either low slopes or those that have a history ice dams. Deer Park Roofing prefers asphalt saturated products to newer and cheaper synthetic underlayment. Some synthetic underlayments do not meet building codes and should be avoided.

5. Shingles – A wide variety of shingles are available and nearly all of them have similar warranties. Choosing a contractor is typically a tougher choice than choosing a shingle but there are several things you should know. Laminated (Architectural or Dimensional) shingles perform much better than 3-tab shingles and are only slightly more expensive. Deer Park Roofing prefers an engineered shingle with SureNail Technology. Owens Corning TruDefinition Duration shingle have performed well in the Cincinnati and Louisville markets since their inception.