Not all roofs are created equal: 11 Installation Tactics Roofing Contractors often skip
If you’re a homeowner, you need to understand that not all roofs are created equal. In fact, there are many ways that Roofing Contractors will deliberately cut corners on their jobs to save themselves time. This leaves you with a sub-par roof installation. We at Fortitude Roofing strongly urge, if you’re in the market for a new roof, take the time to discuss with your contractor HOW they will install your roof.
Here are 11 tactics that roofers often skip:
Many times Roofers will leave the existing felt paper on the roof during their tear-off. This is a time saver for sure, but leaving the existing felt on the sheathing will not permit the roofer to properly inspect your roof sheathing.
A lot of Roofers will use a minimal number of button cap nails to secure your underlayments. The proper way to install underlayment is with a 4-6 inch head-lap and a 6-8 inch side lap. Along the head-lap and side-laps, button caps should be installed every 6 inches on center. This includes the edges of the roof, where the underlayment meets the end of the roof gable, commonly referred to as the “rake.” The body of the underlayment should be nailed every 12 inches on center. Many contractors skip this to save time during the installation.
A self-adhering membrane, referred to as “Ice & Water”, should in installed at critical points on your roofs’ sheathing. Common spots that Ice & Water should be installed are along the eaves of the roof gable, along wall transitions, and 12” over vent cut-outs. Ice and Water is an expensive underlayment, so many Contractors avoid using this material to keep their costs low and earn the customers’ business by being “cheaper than the other guys.”
Staples. Yes, staples are commonly found as an installation fastener. Staples barely penetrate the sheathing and should be avoided. Roofers like them because they are lightweight and fast to install.
Many Roofers will avoid removing and replacing the flashing of the home. Rather they’ll opt to keep the existing flashing in place and reuse. Again, this is a money-saving tactic for the roofer. When you buy a new car, you don’t take the old tires from your old car and put them on the new car you’re buying, so why would you reuse old flashing.
Roofers often use 3-inch drip edge. The problem with 3-inch drip edge is it doesn’t cover the roof sheathing that much. More so, many common manufacturers make their drip edge in the shape as a “T”. “T Metal” does not lay well against most fascia boards. Instead, Roofing Contractors should use 5-inch drip edge that is shaped like an L. The result is nice protection against wind-driven rain.
Embedding starter shingles in Roof Cement often gets skipped. Many Roofing Contractors don’t use starter shingles at all. For the ones that do, many contractors do not put down any roof cement for the starter shingle to lay in. The problem here is the Roofer expects the weight of the starter shingle, once bonded to the first row of shingles, to be great enough to withstand strong winds and prevent moisture from getting under the shingle. This is terrible for the strength and longevity of the roof sheathing. Especially if the width of the drip edge is 3 inches.
Chalk Lines. So many contractors refuse to use chalk lines to mark where the shingles should lay. Their excuse for not “chalking” a roof is because they are experienced enough to do without using chalk lines. Chalk lines are used to ensure shingles are installed straight. Chalking is a key element in any successful roof installation.
Not screwing or nailing loose sheathing. Ever see a roof that looks like a piece is protruding higher than the rest of the roof? This is because the roof sheathing is not secure. After the roof and underlayments are stripped away, the sheathing should be thoroughly inspected. If any sheathing is loose, it must be nailed down. We at Fortitude Roofing prefer to use screws to secure any loose sheathing.
Nail Pattern. This is a BIG deal. Roofs in Hurricane prone areas should be “6 Nailed”, meaning secured to the roof with 6 nails per shingle. Many contractors only use 4 or 5 nails per shingle. Not only how many nails per shingle are used, but the placement of the nail is also a key element in roof installations. Each shingle manufacturer has their own method for where to fasten the shingle. The rule of thumb are nails should be installed at least 1 inch from where shingles meet. We install our shingles using a 1/11/13/26/28/38 pattern. If your roofing contractor doesn’t know what that pattern refers to, you will be better suited to find another contractor.
Shingle rows should have 6-inch offsets from where the shingles meet. Think of a stair-like pattern. When walking up stairs, the place where your foot steps should be 6 inches in length before the next stair wall. The reason for this distance is to prevent water from running too far down and getting through the underlayment. Out of all skipped tactics, this is probably the most common. It’s a good idea to ask your contractor for pictures of the work being done throughout the roof installation. If the contractor has someone looking over his shoulder, these mistakes are less likely to happen.
We at Fortitude Roofing Company put a great emphasis on the quality of the roof we install. All of our estimates are free, so if you’re in the market for a new roof, please call us at (252) 515-1016.
Areas we service:
Morehead City NC - Emerald Isle NC - Atlantic Beach NC - Havelock NC - Beaufort NC - Newport NC - Swansboro NC - Jacksonville NC - New Bern NC - Havelock NC - Trentwoods NC - Peletier NC - Stella NC- Hubert NC - Richlands NC