Re-roofing your home

If you have decided to re-roof your home you will need to determine if the existing roof should be torn off or if you should overlay the shingles. I prefer to tear off the old shingles for a few important reasons:

1. City and County requirements usually do not permit roofing contractors to have more than two layers of shingles on a roof at one time, some city and counties simply won’t allow overlays and most manufacturers are also considered void if shingles are overlayed

       2.  The weight of doubled layered shingles can cause decking to sag and possibly create leaks or structual damage.

       3.  When the roof is removed to the wood substrae roofer can inspect the deck for dry rot or leak damage. Aslo when the deck is bare all flashings can be replaced to ensure a water tight seal. In most cases a roof that ahs two layers of shingles the flashings are not replaced.

       4.  The aesthetic value of your roof may also be compromised if the roof is not torn off, especially if you are using thinner shingles. Any imperfections from the first layer of shingles will show up in the form of bumps and wrinkling on the top layer.

While having an overlay on your roof will cut the initial cost, it may cause more problems to appear later in your roof tiles. Wtih two layers on your roof the repairs can become more costly and take more time to repair.