If you have hired someone to re-roof your home, it can look like a long and complicated process, but contractors know how to complete this task safely and efficiently.
Here is a breakdown of the steps that it takes to re-roof your house.
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Protection
The first step is to make sure that your property is protected by tarps so that the siding of your house is not damaged and your plants stay safe during the re-roofing process. The tarps protect your:
- House from collecting excess moisture while it is exposed
- Plants from fallen shingles
- House siding from scratches and damage.
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Removing Shingles
All of the shingles must be completely removed to begin the process of re-roofing. This way, the contractors can inspect the wood underneath for damage and rot from moisture. If they just laid new shingles over the old shingles, there would be no way to tell if there was rot underneath. This is an important step because if there is any damage to the wood underneath the shingles, the wood will need to be replaced so that the roof does not cave in.
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Inspecting the Wood
All soft wet and rotted wood needs to be replaced, however, this does not necessarily mean replacing all of the wood on the roof. Only the damaged boards will need to be replaced. If the wood is intact, then the shingles will stay intact, so it is important for your safety and the longevity of your roof as a whole to make sure that the wood is in good condition.
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Making Sure the Wood is Attached and Nailed
Roofers must also make sure that the wood on the roof is securely attached to the rafters, after this, they re-nail all of the boards. Roofing companies should always check for missing nails when removing shingles and wood sheets. If they do not check for missing nails, your roof will look bumpy after a week or two.
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Laying Down the Base for Shingles
- We install a drip edge along the sides of the roof. A Drip Edge is a piece of metal that allows for rain runoff and prevents the wood underneath from excess moisture.
- We lay down an ice and water shield over the bottom of the roof and around the chimney and other places that are vulnerable to water penetration. Ice and water shields stick to the wood and do not provide space for moisture to seep in. This fortifies your wooden sheets against rot.
- We then cover the roof with roofing felt. This creates a barrier between the shingles and the wood so that the shingles do not stick.
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Installing the Shingles and Other Material
We then begin laying the shingles and replacing other pieces of the roof that may need repair, such as the ridge vents and counter flashing. To lay the shingles, we put nails on the overlap of the shingles.
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Post Re-Roofing Inspection
We inspect your roof when we have finished to make sure that the shingles are in place, we did not miss any nails and that your roof will remain safe for years to come.
