Well, y'all, it's looking like new roof time. Ugh.

I'd been planning to put a new roof on the place next year, but I may have to get a head start on that plan. Last week's rains offered up an ugly spot on the ceiling. I'm hoping it's something that can be repaired, rather than requiring a replace -- pros coming tomorrow for a look -- but I'm trying to do some learning ahead of time.

Neighbor down the street had new shingles put on recently, and the crew put them on over top of the existing (original) layer. I've heard that's not uncommon, but I'm curious whether it's a good thing to do. Things I know are that it's cheaper (less labor), and it's heavier on the framing. Beyond that, I don't think I know much.

To be fair, this roof is original -- 29 years, I believe. It's not hard to believe it has served its useful life. I'd just like to get another year out of it, if that's not unreasonable.

Take out the old shingles. Take out the underlying boards. Replace everything new. Putting new shingles over old ones is lazy man job.

Forever it was said you could go up to 3 layers of shingles now it is pretty well established that you should start new and remove the old... I suspect this was devised by the roofing industry for both good and bad.... more work more money especially when they remove the old and find you need new plywood in places.... but also it is the better way to do it. I'd check if you can near where the spot showed up... it is probably either a plumbing vent or flashing around the chimney.... but water will come through and run down the underside before it drips and so it might not be right at the spot.

29 years for a standard composite roof is crazy... don't think you will get anything close to that on a new composite roof no matter how good....

then, just to speak out of turn, I can't figure out why anyone would install standard roofing... metal is so much better. The only down side is they rip you off on it... it is so much easier to install and last longer than anyone here, even the young guys, will live. The only roofing material as good is tile or slate and that is really a pain to put on but will last forever as long as no one goes up there.

Damn. New shingles on top of old shingles is just plain lazy.

Cost of roofs has gone through the roof here in Florida. Just so many claims, many fraudulent claims.

Definitely get the longest rated shingles you can. New dry in and new boards where they're needed.

29 years old you don’t want to just repair it. Rip it all off; replace the rotted out wood, that you’ll have since you have a leak.
New synthetic underlayment and shingles and you should be good another 25 years with quality shingles and install job.

New roof and water proof underpayment.
Then talk to your insurance company for a premium reduction.
Put solar panels on a section- get tax credit for the roof and Federal/State funds for solar.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
29 years old you don’t want to just repair it. Rip it all off; replace the rotted out wood, that you’ll have since you have a leak.

This ^^^^^

It's almost a certainty that some of the sheathing (decking) is rotted.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
New synthetic underlayment ...

And this ^^^^^

The Tyvec® "felt" they put on our roof is water-proof.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
... and shingles and you should be good another 25 years with quality shingles and install job.

The top-of-the-line Owens Corning shingles we had put on have a 50-year unconditional materials and labor warranty. Was expensive, though. About $8k for our 1300 sq. ft. ranch + attached 2½-car garage. That included:

• Stripping all the old shingles
  
• Sheathing replacement (there were five or six 4x8 sections needing replacement)
  
• Tyvec® "felt"
  
• Ice and snow shield up to three feet above the wall line (we have deep soffits) and in all the valleys
  
• All new ridge and hip vents
  
• New flashing around the furnace chimney, drain vents, wood stove chimney, and interior bathroom vent
  
• New shingles
  
• Disposal of all waste

Check out class 4 wind/impact resistant shingles. They cost more, but insurance companies frequently offer lower insurance rates if you install them so the ROI may make sense.

Dan- Please do what others have suggested and completely remove everything down to the plywood. This will allow your contractor to inspect the sheathing and make any repairs if necessary. Then install ice and water shield in the valleys followed by synthetic underlayment and a good shingle hopefully a lifetime (formerly 30 year) architectural shingle.

This assumes that you want to stay where you are for the next few years of course.

Eddie, you're one of the people I hoped would chime in on this one. Thank you for your input.

This house isn't the "forever house," but I still don't want to shortcut it while I'm here. I figure there's not need to half-@$$ it, and if it's done well then the resale value will be better when that time comes.

There's a nearby roofing company I figure you've heard of -- name starts with "C" -- are you familiar with them? Anything to say about them?

I've been looking at the Owens Corning Duration shingles, for what that's worth.

I’ll add on the same recommendations as everyone else in case you were unsure. Remove the old shingles and any sheathing that looks like it may have been more than damp. The new paper thin felt replacements are far better and in many cases, cheaper per square foot than traditional asphalt based felt paper. Not sure about Owens Corning but the GAF brand HDZ architectural shingles have a wider nail strip so they can be installed faster (a skilled roofer can make up the difference in the higher cost with less labor involved). They also don’t have a maximum wind rating so if the roofer is GAF certified, you could have a 250 mph hurricane go through and the warranty covers any pieces you lose. And yes, 25-30 years is quite a long lasting roof. You got your money’s worth out of it. In some cases the roofs can be done tax free (not 100% sure what the stipulations are but definitely ask).

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
Damn. New shingles on top of old shingles is just plain lazy.

Cost of roofs has gone through the roof here in Florida. Just so many claims, many fraudulent claims.

Definitely get the longest rated shingles you can. New dry in and new boards where they're needed.

Most roofing companies are full of criminals that rob the insurance companies. Their clients are almost always willing to go along with the scam because it also saves them a bunch of money.

I posted my story about a roofing company a while ago with the criminal owner offering me $1000 cash if I would take my review down. It's the only review I have ever given so you know they were bad. A bunch of swindlers from the first guy I talked to all the way up to the owner.

You would sure never know it from reading their reviews though that's for sure.

I just did mine whole new roof and wood underneath. If I didn't have rotting wood I would have just asked roofer what he'd do on his mom's house and do that.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:
Neighbor down the street had new shingles put on recently, and the crew put them on over top of the existing (original) layer. I've heard that's not uncommon, but I'm curious whether it's a good thing to do.

No, it is not a good thing to do. It's done when the homeowner can't afford to (or doesn't want to pay to) do it the right way. Being cheaper is right about the only upside to it, and it comes with a lot of downsides.

As other have stated, do it right, which involves tear-off and replacement of everything down to the plywood sheeting (including replacing any section of sheeting that needs it, which based on you have water intrusion into your ceiling, you likely need it in at least one section).

One of my clients I recently met with was telling me about her odyssey of having a new roof installed. She had THREE roofs on when she bought the place, I believe she waved inspections when she bought the place. She's having it all removed and a new roof put in place; her house and foundation should thank her. Not a surprise, the area is economically depressed and most people attempt to be resourceful but, really end up cutting-corners resulting in problems down the road.

I'm not a roofer, my understanding, 30-yrs is max age for roofs. Metal is really nice, just make sure your deck and railings can handle the snow shedding if you get that kind of exposure. This past Winter, many homes around the Sierras had so much snow sliding off their metal roofs that it was constant avalanches crashing through their deck railing/fences. Some of them had bad install jobs, water got in-between the metal sections, water froze, expanded resulting in a warped roof. Gotta be some warranty issues there.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
I'm not a roofer, my understanding, 30-yrs is max age for roofs.

For traditional asphalt shingle roofs, yes. And most will be lucky to make it even that long. Especially in areas prone to hail and wind.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
I would have just asked roofer what he'd do on his mom's house and do that.

I've got to keep that in mind for tomorrow's meeting.

Have you considered having a metal roof vs. shingles?

If you google Owens Corning (I believe the largest shingle manufacturer) they have a list of installers that they recommend in your area. Not associated with, other than Owens approves their work and occasionally spot checks them. They should have “Premium, or Platinum” to choose from.
Had mine done a month ago. 18 squares, they stripped the roof, replaced four sheets of weathered plywood, installed all new drip edge and shingled all in one day. I was blown away! I didn’t even fall off the roof! My ass was in a chair!
At the very least, get several quotes, even if you have to look at a tarp on your roof for a few weeks.

Forgot one thing, $11,000 for the job. $611 per square including hauling old shingles away.