4 Hail Storms = 1 New Roof

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Tarhead

Mark
Corporate Member
We've been nailed with 4 hail storms since Mother's day and after a big downpour last Monday I noticed a lot of granules collecting around the downspouts. Long story short we need a new roof and our Home Owner's policy covers it minus the $500 deductible. Needless to say we're happy to get 12 years of use out of our original roof for $500

I need some advice from the collective wisdom on the following:

30lb or 15lb roofing felt?
The estimate specs 15lb.


Shingle quality?
We're not planning to move again so I'm leaning in the direction of the heaviest shingles I can get. The estimate is for "30yr dimensional shingles" The roofing company who gave me an estimate suggested the ultra premium shingles were not worth it in the long run and the warranty was pretty worthless so I'm not sure. Upgrading will represent an extra cost over the estimate. Looking at ~40 square of area.

Are the new shingles really able to resist the staining fungus?
I would like a lighter color roof but hesitate to go that way.

If the staining issue is still a problem how about these Zinc strips?
http://www.zincshield.com/home.html

Any experience with Solar powered roof vents? The roofing estimator had a blank look in his eyes when I asked him.
We have the turbine type vents in addition to ridge vents being fed with full soffit venting. We don't have a lot of ridge. I would like to get a few of these and remove the turbines which are a leak waiting to happen.

Any other 'Pearls' of advice will be appreciated!
Thanks!

Mark
 

Bigdog72

New User
Geoff
Whatever you do, do it quickly. The price of shingles is going up 15-25% a month. Things might slow down with the price increases of oil slowing but the roofers are going to pass on the increase if you don't act quickly.
 

Ray Martin

New User
Ray
Mark,

What's the pitch of the roof?

The 15lb felt is generally sufficient although I'd want a double layer running up any valleys, unless you include a metal valley. Make sure the entire roof, including that over unheated spaces, gets covered with felt and that the edges of the felt are overlapped by 2 to 4 inches.

I'd also ask a couple of non-roofing questions...
- Will you pick up all nails?
- What about plants / shrubs that get damaged?
- Who disposes of material ripped off and all installation scraps / refuse?
- What do you charge for damaged wood under the shingles?
- How is other damage covered (gutters, windows, etc)?

I think I'd insist on a 15% hold-back and not pay it until ALL of the punch list items are addressed.

Ray
 

Don Sorensen

New User
Butch
I'd vote for including the zinc strips, regardless of type of shingle installed. We've done my parent's house twice and included the zinc strip each time, and you can definitely see the differences between their house and the neighbors'. I don't know the brand, but it was readily available at the nearest BORG-style store.

Also, he has a powered roof vent with full soffit and gable venting. Not solar powered, though, but does make a real difference in the summer time. Luckily, the roof is one long ridge.

Best wishes on the roofing. I've helped on 6 or 8 roofs, worn out at least that many pairs of shorts doing so, and all were either here in NC or in southern TX. I hope never to perch on a roof again.
 

Tarhead

Mark
Corporate Member
Ray,
It's a hip roof and my SWAG (Sophisticated Wild A$%ed Guess) for the pitch is average ~10-12" drop/1ft.
The estimate specs "New Closed Valley". What's that?
All the trash hauling, damage, nail pick-up type stuff is addressed in the estimate. I'll be running the magnet around after they finish doing it.
Thanks!
 

Splinter

New User
Dolan Brown
I'd vote for 30lb felt and a colored metal roof. No shingles to replace very 10-15 years or less.
 

Steve W

New User
Steve
Mark, I'd vote for a powered vent that used 120V and uses a thermostat set at about 110 F. The solar fans don't move as much air, so unless you want 4 penetrations (one on each side) I'd go for one vent with a big fan.

Hip roofs are a pain for ventilating because many of them have no ridge. If yours does, you may be able to get away with a ridge vent at the top and little more.

HTH

:kermit: Steve
 

Tarhead

Mark
Corporate Member
Thanks for all the feedback!
An update:
We got the roofer to recalculate the area and he now agrees with the Insurance adjuster. Signed a contract and in a long line of a few hundred other homes needing new roofs. The questions about the felt overlay and valley treatment were addressed and the roofer has convinced me that with newer models of ridge vent and extending it to cover the entire ridge that we should be ok. His concern is that we will not be adequately venting from the soffits with a fan and as a result some of the makeup air will come in from the surrounding ridge...overheating the lowers areas. I threatened to put in a condition that we would be deduct $5.00 for each nail we find in the yard. The contractor smiled and promised he would bring his middle school aged boy to man the roller magnet every evening after they finished.
 

Ray Martin

New User
Ray
Ray,
It's a hip roof and my SWAG (Sophisticated Wild A$%ed Guess) for the pitch is average ~10-12" drop/1ft.
The estimate specs "New Closed Valley". What's that?
All the trash hauling, damage, nail pick-up type stuff is addressed in the estimate. I'll be running the magnet around after they finish doing it.
Thanks!

Mark,

Closed valley is probably just a valley covered with shingles. On an older / slate roof, you would find a metal valley, possibly made of copper. Since shingles are somewhat flexible, a roofer can weave or overlap the shingles to cover the valley. Weaving, like the name implies, means the two sides of the valley have singles that are alternately layered across one another. Look at the photo in this link for an idea of what it looks like. http://www.stargroup.com/ResidentialInspections.htm?hnt/rt003.html~mainFrame This has a "how not to" photo... click on the "Well Woven Valley" link to see how it should look.

A lapped valley means the shingles are installed on one side and overlapped across the valley and up the opposing roof. When the opposing roof is shingled, the shingles are all on top of the lapped shingles and cut at the intersection of the two roof lines (the valley). The danger of a lapped valley installation is that some contractors will simply snap a chalk line after installing all the shingles and cut the shingles with a utility knife. It's real easy to cut too deep and end up with an opening through the shingles and maybe felt. This would allow water to penetrate to the roof deck.

In any event, I'd recommend two layers of 15lb felt running up the valley, on top of the felt lapped across the roof and valley.


Hope this helps.


Ray
 

JohnsonMBrandon

New User
Brandon Johnson
Tarhead what roofing company are you going with? I only use H&S in and around Charlotte. They seem to be the best. If anything is ever damaged or not correct the fix it asap. They even send out a quality assurance manager after the job to ensure nothing was damaged (sofits, shrubs, etc.). They also seem to be competitive. I am sure you have done some research as well....there a couple good companies around.
 

Tarhead

Mark
Corporate Member
Thanks Brandon,
I'm using Huneycutt Roofing in Concord. They've been in business since 1958 and current owner(founder's son) and the founder's widow both live on my street. They've also done a few of the roof replacements and no problems reported by these homeowners.
 

Gofor

Mark
Corporate Member
Chiming in late due to being out of pocket for a week.

In FL, I replaced my power ventilators with ridge vents after the fan motors failed three times in 6 years. It was a 1680 sf single floor house with a hip roof that had a 5/12 pitch (5 vertical for every 12 horizontal). I opted for the ridge vent as the powered vent originally installed never had really did the job and there was no indicator when it failed until you made a trip into the attic and found the heat intolerable. Altho the hip roof made it shorter than a gabled roof, we had better attic ventilation with the ridge vent, no moving parts, and no electricity required. When I sold the house 8 years after having the house re-shingled due to Hurricane Opal, the independent inspector hired to identify and problem areas vouched that the roof was in excellent condition. As long as the eaves have adequate venting, and the air flow is not restricted from the eaves to the ridge, I would opt for a ridge vent.

The key to shingle life is keeping the underside of the roof ventilated. Power vents expel the heat in only a few spots, usually below the ridge which is where the heat buildup is the greatest. A ridge vent allows the greatest amount of overall heat exhaust. Lighter colored shingles also will also reflect more solar energy.

As for the valley, you do want metal flashing down the valley under the shingles. It will probably be aluminum, not copper, but still is needed. Aluminum is quite sufficient and definitely more economical.

JMHO

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