Read This Before You Replace Your Roof

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When you get your roof redone you have a few options: you can tear off the original roof and begin anew, or add shingles onto the existing roof.

Types of Replacement

For safety purposes, a roof cannot have more than two layers of shingles on it because of the weight. However, only one is necessary to take care of the roof.

Roof replacements are separated into two categories: an overlaying project, and a tearing away project. During an overlay, a second layer of shingles is added on top of the layer already on the roof. This is the maximum load the roof can have. Tearing away is exactly as it sounds. A tearing-away replacement can involve removing all of the layers, whether the roof has one or two, and completely starting fresh with a brand new roof, made with fresh, quality supplies.

Pros and Cons of Each Type

Tearing off the roof is the most expensive and time-consuming option, but it is also the most thorough. By stripping away everything, roofing contractors are able to see under the shingles and examine the weak spots that caused roofing problems. Because of this thorough assessment, you can be assured that your new roof is clear of any problems that could have been hiding. Rotted away wood, rusted nails, and any other part of your roof that was not in new condition is completely replaced.

As mentioned before, the concern with doing an overlay is that it's possible to miss issues that were hiding under shingles when roofers are working over them, and thus they miss opportunities to diagnose roofing problems underneath. The overlay, unfortunately, can also add extra weight to a roof, which had an adverse effect on the building's structural integrity. It can also make it very difficult to find leaks that occur later on, due to the extra layer that gets in the way of the visual inspection.

But the pros of getting an overlay over a replacement include saving more money. With fewer hands needed, you save on labor costs. It is also not going to be such an extensive project as replacing an entire roof, so it won't take as long.

How To Hire A Roofing Contractor

Now that you have a better understanding of roof replacements, it's time to start thinking about who will do that job. Going with an experienced roofing professional gives you the peace of mind that the work will meet standards of excellence in the trade, will be done safely and within legal codes, and that quality products will be used.

Most, if not all contractors have websites these days where they list their previous clients or have samples of their previous work. If they are highly recommended by any trade organizations or have a high customer satisfaction rating, then that is worth noting. Do they seem knowledgeable? Do they seem like the kind of people you trust working on your house? The roofing contractors at Jackson Contracting understand that they're not just doing work on a building, they're protecting an asset that also has sentimental value to the client. The contractors communicate with clients, are friendly, and are always willing to answer questions at any stage of the project. Those are the kinds of qualities that set apart decent roofers from excellent ones.