Hello,

I'll try and make this a "coles notes' version of my question.

Just bought a new house. Current owner said they would put new roof on before closing date (a few months away), using 25 yr. shingles.

Drove by yesterday and found the roofing well under way. They were just finishing one of the last sections, and I saw that there was NO TAR PAPER/ROOFING FELT being used. Shingles right over plywood substrate (At least they ripped the old ones off). Now, I'm a painter, but I know that good practice in roofing would tell me to use tar paper over the whole job to serve as a moisture barrier. I couldn't tell if they had put a starter row of tar paper down on the starter row of shingles at the bottom of the eaves.

I checked the local building code, which was about as fun as learning the intricacies of tax law. It indicates that it should be used, however there are certain exclusions; none of which I can actually investigate at this point.

Typical Canadian weather area...LOTS of snow, very sub-zero temperatures, and very high winds.

I guess my question(s) is/are, is this common practice? Will this result in nasty leaks? Is there anything I can do. I would think probably not at this point since they've already finished by now.

Anyhoo, there ya go. Any thoughts, suggestions appreciated.

 

Personally, I would want the felt under shingles, just to be safe. However, the practice of using it came about before the days of nailguns, and was called "drying in." Basically, it was a way to ensure that the roof would stay dry until all the shingles were installed, which took a lot more time when fasteners were hand hammered. While the felt will help a leak from getting into the house, it may not be as necessary as it would seem.

I would be concerned if it is still cold there about whether the seal-down strips are getting warm enough to melt and seal, and about whether or not they installed an ice dam under the first rows of shingles.

If this work was contracted, the company that installed it should have some sort of warranty on the labor, but it is probably quite short, so I would act quickly if anything does need to be redone.

I don't know about Canada, but in US you can call the city and talk to an inspector for code help and enforcement issues.

Good luck

 

What city is this house in?

 

Thanks for the response Derek. When I first saw what was being done, I sort of panicked. I always push for best practices in my painting and expect other trades to follow the same principles. Especially if they're working on the lid of the house I'm going to be living in next winter! When it's out of your control, wow it can be frustrating. Maybe you're right and it's not as necessary as it may seem. Like yourself I am guessing, I like the lid on my coffee cup to be nice and secure. Makes me feel better when it's being held between my legs while I'm driving! No leaks please!

Can't be sure about the ice dam thing. Wife saw some white/plastic strip being attached along edge of the upward face of the roof. Hopefully that's what you're talking about. Temp is hitting around 10 Celsius for a high these days. Not sure if that's warm enough for the strip seals. Either way, I guess what's done is done and we'll just have to hope for the best.

As for warranty, who knows. The truck didn't have a name on it, so for all I know it could have been being done by the current owner and some buddies.

Life lesson learned I guess. If you want something done your way, do it yourself.

Rob: Smalltown Southwestern Ontario.

Thanks again guys.

 

Not familiar with CA and no roofing guy...but I've never heard of that. I've seen full weathershield, tarpaper, and a sort of synthetic tarpaper used, but there was always something.

I'd wonder what the manufacturer of the shingles requires for warranty.

I'm sure some of our northern experts will be around eventually.

 

I'm in London, Ontario right now, and lately it's been fine weather for roofing, with this exception of one snowy morning earlier in the week.

More important than the paper is the installation of ice shield. Unfortunatley I would think if they didn't bother with the paper, they wouldn't do the ice either.

I'm not a roofer, but I would imagine as long as they did a good job laying the shingles it should be ok. If you're really worried about it, you can always call in a pro to inspect it. Someone physically looking at it will always be better than us on the forums, no matter how awesome our advice is

 

Thanks Rob. Yep, it was a decent week for roofing, and yes that snowy day was a bit of a nasty surprise.

We get posession of the house in a few months. Once we do, I'm going up on the roof to take a peek around. Thankfully it's not that steep and i won't kill myself! Did some calling around and the local roofers say that most just do the initial strip of tar paper for the starter row, then raw shingles over plywood for the rest. That's a bummer. Bet they don't do that on their own houses. Hopefully there is ice shield under there.

I'll likely be back in the roofing/gutter section of DIY when we move in as I think the eavestroughs look like their falling apart too. Be needing more of your awesome advice at that point too! This is my first house and I plan on doing just about everything myself in terms of fixups and repairs (with the exception of electrical, don't want to burn the house down).

Thanks again. This site is always great for information on just about everything!

 

Here in U.S.,underlayment paper is not required if slope is over 4/12. As others said check the manufacturer. But, 4 fasteners per shingle (3' wide) are, and they must be minimum 3/4 long. Go in your attic, check if the fasteners come through a tad, are 12' apart, and 2 every 3' apart. The "white plastic thing wife saw", hopefully was ridge venting, look in attic for daylight at the peak. I would be concerned of enough ventilation. Be safe, GBR

 

Thanks GBR. I'll check on the ventilation and fasteners when we move in. Actually, what my wife saw (the white strip) was (I don't think I explained it correctly) on...hmmm this is hard...the sloped edge of the roof. Not on the peak.

Yup, the requirements appear to vary with slope, etc. I found that out in the local building code online (which is now my best friend).

Regards, Bill.

PS By the time we move in I'm going to be giving my damn roof so much attention with all I've learned from here, my wife's going to wonder what the hell's wrong with me! Hey, it's my first house...What can I say.

 

Sounds like gable edge flashing. I hate attics, maybe the last one I was in -5' headroom, summer day, 82*F., 2 hours! Here is some reading to keep you out of your attic for a little while, just enter attic in the search boxes:

Welcome To Home Energy Magazine Online

Energy Savers: Attic Access Insulation and Air Sealing

Energy Savers: Attic Access Insulation and Air Sealing

BSD-012: Moisture Control for New Residential Buildings —

Building Science Consulting - Designs That Work - Building Materials Property Table

Enjoy........ Be safe, GBR