When it comes to building a new home or having home
improvements done on your home it is important to research before you jump into
the project. This also refers to project
on the exterior of the home such as the roof.
Whether you are putting on the homes first roof or replacing an existing
roof you will want to educate yourself fully on the process. This way if you realize that there is much
more involved than you thought, you can save time and money and hire a
professional roofing contractor.
You may ask why it is important to have a well-constructed
roof installed. Is it really that
important to the home? Yes, the roof is
the most important component of your home.
Without care and proper installation homes can experience water damage
or a variety of other issues. A new
shingle roof, installed by a professional will cost you more than doing it
yourself however without proper knowledge homeowners can easily forget valuable
steps in installing the roof in order to save some money upfront. Consider that if an error is made to have it
fixed is sometimes more costly than having it done by a professional from the
start. However if you are set on going it alone here are some steps to follow.
·
If you are replacing an old roof remove the
asphalt shingles. Much has been written
about leaving the old shingles on the roof and applying the new roof on top of
it. This is not necessarily the best
option. When you strip away the layer of
shingles you are able to assess the condition of the current foundation before
adding on shingles.
·
When looking at the roof foundation check the
plywood out and look specifically for any water damage that may have
occurred. Any damage should be repaired
by replacing the affected boards and applying all new materials for the damaged
section of roof.
·
Examine the drip edges that are in place on the
current roof. If there aren’t any to be
found install them, if the ones installed are in rough shape replace them. They need to be place all along the roof line
including on the bottom and sides of the roof.
They can easily be kept in place with roofing nails.
·
The next step is to install a felt paper to the
plywood foundation of the roof. A
fifteen pound felt paper can be put in place using a simple staple gun. This helps to protect the roof from building
up moisture.
·
The first step when it comes to the actual
asphalt shingles is to place a starter strip of shingles in place. This will be unseen and provides a strip to
prevent water from seeping in between the notches in the shingles.
·
The installation should begin in a bottom corner
of your roof moving to the right and then up.
Each shingle should be put into place with a roofing nail just below the
tar strip. You will want to stagger the
shingles not allowing them to line up perfectly. If they line up they will leak
damaging the roofing below.
·
Any obstructions should have the roofing tiles
cut around them and then tar will need to be used to seal them.
·
Shingles should be nailed in until you reach the
top. A ridge cap will be applied to the
top. Tar needs to be applied to the corners of all of the ridge cap shingles to
hold them in place properly.
As you can see there is a lot to installing an asphalt shingle
roof. Consider the pros and cons of any
home improvement project before you embark on the adventure. There are times when doing it yourself makes
sense. Other times though you will find
in the long run you could have saved time and money hiring a professional.
Installing a new roof might just be one of those times when hiring a
professional is cheaper in the long run.
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