Help! Last week's storm won!

[Leigh Costello]

Mana oh man! It's raining cats and dogs and little goats too! Not only outside either. We have fiberglass shingles, 10 yrs old, no idea how to replace or what to use. Help!

[Jim Becker]

Get a tarp over the roof as soon as you can do it safely...at the very least, your insurance coverage is going to expect that you mitigate damage as best as you can. Give your insurance agent a call to discuss remediation.

[Wyatt Holm]

We have got a lot of snow, more than usual.
Wyatt

[Steve Clardy]

Have the same batch of cats and dogs here too. No roof leaks thankfully.

[Leigh Costello]

Well, today the sunny frozen roof is doing okay. Our neighbor came over and helped hubby put a quick patch up. The whole mess made me realize how grown up I actually am (46) and how friendly our neighbors are. After the first panicked "hole in the roof now what do we do?" wore off, we are looking into replacing the beat up shingles. It was a vent flashing that had been knocked loose, it seems. But the ensuing hail and wind took care of the rest. Now we have the decision of using an insurance claim deductible-$1,000-or just replacing the shingles ourselves. And since a borg just opened nearby, we will look at our options. Our neighbor said he would help us since he is currently out of work.

So now the question becomes, which roofing material do we use? If we follow trends, architectural shingles seem like an option, but everything I have read so far does not support this. We currently have fiberglass shingles and are hoping to just go right over these with our new material. If we do that, then we probably should stick with fiberglass. But, we are also wondering about metal. I know about the long sheets, but I am going to research the kind that got used on last season's Blog Cabin.

Given Missouri weather and the climate extremes-50 degree temp changes in one hour, occasional sub-zero cold, high winds, intense heat, and of course tornado alley...there are a lot of considerations.

If anyone has any suggestions or thoughts to share, please do. Thanks!

[Jim Becker]

Heavier architectural shingles have good long warranties. Metal generally longer, but at significantly higher cost. When we re-roofed as part of our addition project, the sq ft difference was $6-7 sq ft higher for metal, which we originally specified for the whole structure. We instead opted for 40yr Architectural Shingles (Elk) for most of the structure and metal for the porch roof for contrast. The shingles very much look like the cedar that was originally on the building.

Honestly, you really should at least consider a "real" re-roof with removal of the old shingles, installation of new flashing and installation of a good quality roofing product. In the long run, it may even cost you less out-of pocket.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,

If anyone has any suggestions or thoughts to share, please do. Thanks!

I took a very practical approach last year (or was it the year before?) when a section of the roof blew off.

We went w/40 year architectural shingles & had them rip off the old shingles.

I'm 56 & my wife is 52.
Both of us work full time and have most of our bills paid.

I figured we might as well get a major expense out of the way now, rather than have my wife facing a large expense on her own once I'm gone.

[Dale Johnson]

How many layers of shingle are on the roof now? If there is a layer under this one you should strip off the shingles and re-tarpaper the sheating. Depending on the sheating you may have more issues. OSB and chip board tend to swell if they are exposed to moisture where a nail has gone through. Plywood is much better. Where I live in Minnesota, code only allows two layers of roofing and minimum of 3' of stick on ice barrier. The stick on barrier is cheap insurance and I went 6' up from the edge of the roof and 4 1/2' each side of any valley. In the valley I put the first strip down the center of the valley and added another strip on each side. If I was to do it all over again, I would go with the metal roofing. It sheds snow and here it gets you a reduction on your homeowners insurance. If you decide to go shingles, I would look at the 40 year architectural ones. Don't let anyone convince you staples are as good as roofing nails. Coil nails and a gun will make the job go faster. Also remember that those of us in our 50's don't bounce as good when we hit the ground so take all safety precautions, the best one being have someone else do it.

[Stephen Beckham]

One other thing to check into when you're crunching numbers - verify what the insurance coverage for metal is in your area. Kentucky just adopted a new very liberal coverage for metal. Practically impossible to get a replacement roof covered by insurance under the new rules - even hail dimples will not qualify. Basically, the dimple or damage has to be soooo bad that it causes a fracture in the metal. Imagine how deep a dimple would have to be to cause a fracture or tear in steel...

We went with the 40 year as well - we had our two layers stripped back down to single layer. Cost out of pocket was about $1800. That was the $1000 deductable and $800 to upgrade the shingles (insurance only pays for 20 year shingles) and added ridge venting... Heating and Cooling bills already show the difference...

[Larry Edgerton]

My wife and I wandered through your neck of Missouri a couple of years ago, and then again last year when I had a race at Lucas Speedway. I like the people in your state, or at least in the country, and the scenery is awesome. We talked about moving there. How hot is it in the summer?

Anyway......

I am having the same debate with myself for my house here. I think architecturals will win because we are under huge pines and pines drop pitch, lots of pitch. Steel looks like hell when it is loaded with pitch after a few years.

If you want a roof to last strip to sheathing. Moisture that gets trapped in between the layers and the extra movement causes the new shingles to age more quickly if a shingle over. Many manufacturer warrentys are void if you do a "shingle over", check the shingles of choice.

I don't feel that any of the 20 year shingles are worth the effort any more. I am seeing curling in as little as 5 years. If you are not moving consider that the cost of a reroof in say ten years will be quit a bit more, so any extra expense now in shingle cost will come back to you many times over, and look better doing it.

If you are in a sunny area, keep in mind that shingle color has a link to their lifespan. A lighter shingle will be cooler, not just on the shingle but in the attic as well. I am not saying go white, I hate white myself, but not black either. Some happy medium.......

Sorry about your misfortune, but if you use it to be covered [pun intended] for the next 40 years, its all good.

My favorite? Shangles by Owens Corning I believe.....

Just my opinion.....

[Michael Wetzel]

I would remove all of the old shingles, inspect the decking, new tarpaper, new drip edge, new flashing, new boots and use 40 year architectural shingles. I am not a big fan of multiple roof layers, it is added weight, you can't inspect the decking and it makes finding a leak near impossible.

[Dennis Peacock]

I would remove all of the old shingles, inspect the decking, new tarpaper, new drip edge, new flashing, new boots and use 40 year architectural shingles. I am not a big fan of multiple roof layers, it is added weight, you can't inspect the decking and it makes finding a leak near impossible.

EXACTLY..!!!! If you are going to the expense of fixing up your roof for a good long term fix? Then do it all. Remember that your roof trusses are only designed to support a certain amount of weight. A bundle of 20 year shingles weighs 75 pounds and that means that every "square" of shingles that you put on the decking of your house...adds 225 pounds of weight. Take the old shingles off as it will help your roof to last longer. Michael makes a very good point and it's very well worth doing it all "new" while your in the middle of the process and expense.

BTW, there is another line of shingles you can take into consideration, Timberline shingles. They are a 50 year shingle. I'll be looking at both architectural and Timberline shingles for my roof in the next couple of years.

I used to do a lot of roofing....it's not fun work, but you will sleep good every night.

[Ken Garlock]

Hi. When we built back in 2002 I had the best shingles installed that I could find. After a lot of searching, I decided upon shingles from a company in Portland Or. by the name of Malarkey. Don't laugh, their top of the line shingles carry the top fire resistance rating, and 110 MPH wind rating and carry a 50 year warranty.

I recommend them as they got me a 30% reduction in homeowners insurance.

[Jim Becker]

Dennis, while we specified 40 year, we ended up with the 50s for a few bucks more per bundle due to a supply situation. I'm not complaining...they look great with wonderful deep shadow lines. And I absolutely agree that doing a roof "right" is the better investment including the weight factor. Repairs get expensive real fast...not so much from the actual "repair" but from the collateral damage.

[Ben Franz]

One more vote for architectural comp over a clean deck. I used Elk 40 year shingles on a lot of roofs after talking with one roofer in a coastal area subject to extreme winds. I believe Elk now makes a 50 year product for a nominal increase over 40 year stuff - any of their products are much more affordable than Celotex high end products and the like. Tearing off the old layer(s) isn't that expensive and a good roofer will protect any areas left exposed overnight.