Whether building a new home or replacing an old roof, roofing installation requires skill and attention to detail. It involves preparing and inspecting the sheathing, installing underlayment and flashing, and applying the final roofing material.
Ensure that your contractor is licensed and insured, has manufacturer certifications, and provides documentation of materials, installations, and warranties. They should also communicate clearly with you throughout the project.
The preparation phase of a roofing installation involves several essential details that help guarantee the renovation goes smoothly. It includes discussing the property’s access requirements, identifying utility placements, and providing special instructions to address unique property features. It also involves setting up communication protocols for questions or issues that might arise during the process and establishing guidelines for maintaining a safe work environment.
Safety is paramount for roofers, who must use specialized tools and materials to perform their job. A roofing contractor must ensure that everyone involved has the proper equipment for working on a roof, including safety harnesses and lines, rubber-soled boots, and gloves. They should also cover plants and secure outdoor belongings in an area away from the work site. An air compressor is also necessary for powering pneumatic tools like a nailer, which saves time and effort compared to manual nailing. A caulk gun is another must-have for sealing and waterproofing critical roof elements.
Within the residence, vibrations generated by hammering on the roof can affect wall-mounted decorative items such as mirrors and framed photos. Ideally, these items should be removed prior to the start of the project to prevent potential damage. It is also a good idea to relocate vehicles to avoid blocking in the garage or driveway. This allows the roofing contractors to get to and from the work area quickly without causing a delay in the renovation.
Children and pets might find the construction noise distressing, which is why many homeowners plan ahead to provide alternative accommodations for them during the roofing renovation. This might involve arranging for them to stay with friends or family members or sending them to school or day care during the re-roofing process. Leaving a pet in an isolated room or at a doggie daycare facility can be an effective way to ease their anxiety, too.
Before the roofers begin installing a new roof, they must remove all existing roofing materials, which might include asphalt shingles, slate tiles, or metal panels. They also install flashing around chimneys, vents, and skylights to prevent water from seeping into the structure at these vulnerable points. Finally, they add drip edge, a metal strip that directs rainwater away from the building’s edges.
Materials
A roofing installation requires the right materials to ensure a durable, watertight finish. Many factors go into choosing the correct roof material, including the upfront cost, lifespan, maintenance requirements, and energy efficiency benefits. Expert roofing teams can guide homeowners through the many options available and offer insights into what will best suit their goals, architecture, and budget.
The type of structure being roofed can also impact the roofing process. Residential houses feature more intricate design features, such as multiple roof sections, ridges, and eaves, which require careful planning and additional materials like flashing. Barns and sheds, on the other hand, tend to be simpler in design with fewer structural features and are more straightforward to roof.
Roof sheathing, comprised of wooden boards or panels like plywood or OSB, provides a strong base layer for the shingles. The sheathing is nailed to the roof rafters to prevent shingle damage and leaks. Traditionally, plank sheathing was the standard, consisting of elongated wooden boards nailed directly to the rafters. However, the modern sheet sheathing option is favored in construction due to its uniformity and ease of installation as well as its added strength compared to traditional plank sheathing.
After the sheathing is installed, a layer of underlayment is applied. The underlayment serves as a secondary barrier to prevent moisture infiltration, helping the sheathing and shingles resist damage from water-driven wind or ice dams. Felt underlayment, a more traditional choice, is affordable and easy to work with. However, more advanced materials like asphalt-saturated felt and synthetic underlayment are increasingly being used due to their superior performance and durability.
A vapor barrier is also installed to prevent moisture infiltration into the structure below. It is a crucial component of a waterproof roof, particularly in high-risk areas like valleys, chimneys, and vents.
Once the vapor barrier and underlayment are installed, the roof can be finished with a variety of materials. Asphalt shingles are the most common, and come in a range of styles and colors to complement any architectural style or exterior color scheme. Other roofing options include tile, metal, and stone-coated steel. These materials can also be enhanced with specialized coatings that improve their energy efficiency.
Sequencing
The homeowner’s confidence in your roofing company is crucial. Unlike utility representatives and monthly service providers like the Orkin man, roofing contractors don’t typically carry built-in credibility with property owners. Explaining how your business is structured, including ownership, licenses and crew members helps set these concerns to rest.
Detailed information on your company’s installation process can also help build customer trust. For example, roofers install underlayment to control moisture, and there’s a specific sequence to follow to ensure proper shingle overlapping and coverage. Also, special attention must be given to complex areas like vents, chimneys and ridgeline. Often these areas require flashing to divert water and prevent infiltration.
Your website can demonstrate how these key features are designed to work together as a system to improve home performance. Educating the homeowner about these details can help them make an informed purchase and get the most out of their investment. Developing relationships with real estate agents and fellow contractors can also result in steady referrals to your roofing business. Offering referral incentives like discounts or cash bonuses can further strengthen these connections.
Installation
Depending on the type of structure being roofed, the roofing installation process will vary. Barns and sheds, for example, tend to have simpler roof designs that are easier to work on compared to homes, which often have more roof sections, ridges, and eaves. This makes them more difficult to roof because of the additional structural components like chimneys, valleys, and dormers that require more planning and special materials such as flashing.
The first step in any roofing project is to prepare the roof deck. This includes removing any existing shingles and underlayment, which is important to ensure the roof deck is structurally sound and capable of supporting the new roofing system. It is also the time to install ice and water shield at all the penetrations of the roof, such as around chimneys, wood stove pipes, vents, and along dormers.
Once the roof deck is ready, it’s time to start installing the metal panels of the roof. Begin by positioning the first panel so that its edge overhangs the eave flashing by 1-2 inches and is square to the roof edges. Once the first panel is in place, install the remaining panels in a row, overlapping them as specified by the manufacturer.
Between each panel, it’s necessary to install flashing at all the points where the roof meets other structures, such as walls, chimneys, and vents. The flashing is secured with roofing nails to create a weathertight seal. Once the entire roof is covered with metal panels, it’s a good idea to run a row of shingle starter strips across the top to hold down any shingles that are being installed over them. Then, you can begin running the rest of the shingles in a long row up and over the peak of the roof to finish the job.