How the Stuff on Your Roof Affects a Roof Replacement
How the Stuff on Your Roof Affects a Roof Replacement. Are you thinking of replacing your roof? If so, one of the first things your roofer will check is how much stuff there’s on your roof.
That will determine how much easy or tricky will be the job. If you have a smooth, sloping hip roof, for example, replacing it will be easy. But, having chimneys, skylights, dormers, vents, and turrets up there will make things more complicated.
Working around the shapes and objects on your roof
Every shape or feature in your roof generates points vulnerable to water penetration. Besides, each shape creates an angle that deviates from the roof’s flat surface and can restrict airflow. So, these features also cause poor ventilation and early aging of your shingles.
Therefore, let’s see how your roofing contractor can deal with your roof’s specific waterproofing and ventilation needs.
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Your unique roof and roof replacement
Chimneys and Exhaust Vents
- Problem: Leak-prone areas
- Solutions: Cricket, flashing, sealant, underlayment
Many homes have at least one chimney and they require extra attention during a roof replacement.
- If your chimney penetrates the roof deck, you can install a cricket at the side of the chimney to diverts the water around it.
- No cricket? You can also install vertical step flashing six inches up the side of the chimney.
- Chimneys need specific flashing methods, so you may need to use step flashing, cap flashing, and even corner flashing. Besides, employ high-quality waterproof underlayment like CertainTeed’s Winterguard ® as the base mat for the chimney deck.
- A snug-fitting preformed flashing flange is a great idea to avoid water penetration around exhaust pipes. The wide, seamless bottom makes rainwater running away from the base of the pipe and down the shingles.
- To get extra protection, your roofer will have to cut a hole in the shingle installed between the vent and the flange. Also, he can use asphalt roofing cement to seal imperceptible gaps.
Roof style and shape
- Problems: Leak prone valleys, poor ventilation
- Solutions: Underlayment, flashing, installation techniques, and ventilation.
- Ideally, rainwater should flow down easily through your roof‘s valleys to the gutters. So, apply waterproof underlayment to the deck to reinforce roof valleys. This way, you’ll create a seamless base layer and maximize performance.
- Also, install metal valley flashing at the valley. You can do it in an open or a closed style, depending on the shingles used.
- You can weave the shingles to get additional protection in these vulnerable areas.
- Ventilation requirements vary according to the roof style and shape.
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Unique Architectural Features
- Problems: Installation of underlayment and shingles, leaks around features
- Solutions: Special install techniques, unique flashing
- Dormers are windows that protrude vertically from a sloping roof. To avoid water filtering at the sidewall, use waterproof underlayment and step flashing.
- When installing shingles on the dormer roof, special shingle cuts and installs plus ridge caps at the dormer ridge provide effective waterproofing and good-looking for your dormer.
- Cones and turrets are two of the most labor-intensive features when it comes to roof replacement.
According to CertainTeed Mid-Atlantic Territory Manager Jeff Frantz:
“These roofs require special set-up for installing a new roof, including atypical scaffolding and unique shingle application.”
These features are challenging. Roofers must evaluate the cuts and applications for every feature to keep the shingles lying flat on the curves. In this sense, CertainTeed advises cutting the shingles into trapezoidal shapes and tapering them to a narrower width as they near the top of the cone. Besides, it is necessary to set a metal cap at the top of the cone employing roofing cement.
A roof replacement you can trust
Special roofing construction features can significantly affect a roof replacement. But the Louisiana Roof Crafters team of experts is ready to help you with your roof replacement, no matter how many objects are up there!
We’re the roofers you can trust for peace of mind.
Call Roof Crafters at 985-241-8045 or contact us online to get a price. Also, you can schedule a free, in-home consultation or find answers to any home roofing questions.