2 Roofs (shake & shingle), 20+ yrs old


  #1  
Old 12-16-03, 05:53 PM
agoodhi
Visiting Guest
Posts: n/a
Question 2 Roofs (shake & shingle), 20+ yrs old

Hello!

My house has 2 roofs (med. shake), with the outer roof being 20+ years old. Lots of broken and missing shingles on the front side (westside) of the house (esp. after tenting for termites and cleaning out the sewage from the vent tops). The roof is not leaking, but looks pretty bad from the exterior. I hoping that the roof will last till summer time (here in CA) when I plan on replacing it.

My question now is.... should I repair the damage and missing shingles myself, or just leave it the way it is? I'm worried that replacing bad/missing shingles will cause more damage, or make it even more prone to leaking. My other option is replacing it now before it starts to leak, but I know replacing in during winter adds more to the cost. Any suggestions???

--Ryan
 
  #2  
Old 12-16-03, 07:25 PM
Grumpy
Visiting Guest
Posts: n/a
If your concerned abotu leaks you should replace them. If you said 20 are missing you can do this in a weekend. Be careful wet shake roofs are slippery as he..
 
  #3  
Old 12-16-03, 09:41 PM
agoodhi
Visiting Guest
Posts: n/a
Originally posted by Grumpy
If your concerned abotu leaks you should replace them. If you said 20 are missing you can do this in a weekend. Be careful wet shake roofs are slippery as he..
No, the roof is 20+ years old. Not sure how many shingles need replacement. I'll take a closer look this weekend. I hope I don't cause further damage by replacing with new shingles.
 
  #4  
Old 12-17-03, 05:16 AM
slumlordfrank's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Where time and space begin
Posts: 697
Upvotes: 0
Received 1 Upvote on 1 Post
If you want to make it last until next year try replacing the broken/missing shingles. But don't be suprised if you walking around on the roof makes the problem worse. My experience with layovers is that they exacerbate the deterioration of the shakes, trap more moisture and overall shorten the life of the laid over shingles. Regardless of what "year rating" manufacturers print on their shingles in our part of the country they almost never last that long, YMMV.

That said, I would just plan on stripping both layers, adding a roof decking (normally with a radiant barrier, but the purlins so greatly reduce its effectivenss that I wouldn't bother), ridge and soffit vents and get on with life.

Frank
 
  #5  
Old 12-17-03, 03:22 PM
Grumpy
Visiting Guest
Posts: n/a
I've never seen a cedar roof last 35 years even when properly maintained. I would never lay cedar over an existing layer of anything but I have seen it done far too often.
 
  #6  
Old 12-17-03, 04:28 PM
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 2,999
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
agoodhi: I don't know why roofing in the winter is more expensive then other times of the year. Maybe Lefty knows. Strip the whole roof right down to the deck. If there is any deck that needs to be replaced, replace them. Do not put cedar shakes over an old roof. Only put them directly on the deck. Good Luck
 
  #7  
Old 12-18-03, 07:25 AM
P
Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Montreal, Canada
Posts: 105
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Jack, if you live in the snow-belt then roofing is more expensive because the workers have to dress for it. More time has to be spent on safety and protection, as snow and ice on a roof create slippery and dangerous conditions. Everything takes more time. I've been on roofs when it was 0 degrees F, with a 30 mph wind blowing. It's not fun, and while most people would avoid working on a roof under those conditions, sometimes there's no real choice. Of course, winter in San Diego will not be the same as in Buffalo, NY, and I wouldn't expect the San Diego rates to be much different from the other seasons. On the other hand, maybe in California any temperature approaching freezing is considered extreme?
 
  #8  
Old 12-22-03, 06:46 AM
awesomedell's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: USA
Posts: 2,351
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Ryan,

While the point has been made here that up in the northern parts of the country, winter time roofing projects aren't advisable, however in So Ca, can't imagine that the roofers know one time of yr from the next. My question to you is, has there been any leaks since you finished your other projects? If not, odds are it'll be ok for a short time. But I'd be getting my bids now & try to schedule the roof job, asap after the holidays.

I'd also agree that shakes don't belong over the top of a composite roof, have seen it done, but the roof never lasts anywhere close to it's warranted lifetime, personally I only do a shake roof where it's mandated by local rules. Some neighborhoods are like that, don't know why anyone would purposely buy a house where your neighbors get to tell you what kind of improvements you can do to your house, but hey to each his own.
 
  #9  
Old 12-22-03, 07:14 AM
Dave_D1945's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 1,132
Upvotes: 0
Received 1 Upvote on 1 Post
Where in CA are you? Around here (San Jose) roofing crews work year round and there isn't much difference in cost. The roofers I've talked to prefer winter work since it's cooler. The biggest problem is getting the new sheathing down and papered while it isn't raining.

Have you gotten any bids yet? If not, get some and ask the roofing company if there's a cost difference between winter and summer. I don't think there will be.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: