Asphalt Shingle Roof Contractor | New or Rebuild

Asphalt shingles are by far the most popular product in the U.S. residential roofing market. Asphalt shingles can be reinforced with either organic or fiber glass materials. A shingle's reinforcement will have little effect on its appearance. Organic shingles consist of a wood-fiber base that is saturated with asphalt and coated with colored mineral granules. To fight fungus growth in warm, wet climates, they are available with special algaecide granules.

Composition Shingles are the most popular and affordable solution for a pitched roof; they have a class A fire-rating. If you are converting an existing shake roof to a composition roof, it will be necessary to install plywood. Make sure your contractor is using ½ inch cdx plywood; we do not recommend OSB Board, even though it is allowable by code.

Unlike the shingles of many years ago, the composition shingles available on the market presently are an architectural design and are of much better quality. There is a range of grades of shingles i.e. 25 year, 30 year, 40 year, and up and a range of colors and styles. Talk to your contractor about which shingle is the most suitable for you.

Wood shingles or shakes are a standard roofing material in the west and north. Made from Cedar (sometimes Redwood) which resists rot, insects, and weathering, these shingles blend well in nature. Their life span is in direct proportion to the quality and thickness of the wood. Because of the intense summer heat and low humidity of the west, most new shakes must be treated with fire retardant.

Asphalt shingles are by far the most popular product in the U.S. residential roofing market. Asphalt shingles can be reinforced with either organic or fiber glass materials. A shingle's reinforcement will have little effect on its appearance. Organic shingles consist of a wood-fiber base that is saturated with asphalt and coated with colored mineral granules. To fight fungus growth in warm, wet climates, they are available with special algaecide granules.

Fiberglass shingles consist of a fiberglass mat and top-and-bottom layers of asphalt and mineral granules. Typically, fiberglass offers greater durability, but their manufacturer is important to defining the quality of the product.

Asphalt shingles are good performers in extreme temperatures, and areas where wind, water and ice are of particular concern. They are efficient, and the high-volume production and the relatively low application cost of asphalt shingles provide consumers with an overall value that is difficult for competing roofing materials to match, especially in terms of comparable life expectancy.

Further, asphalt shingle roofs, when properly chosen and applied, require little or no regular upkeep, and are easily repaired if damaged. Finally, Asphalt shingles are considered to be the easiest of all standard roofing materials to apply and the flexibility and strength of asphalt shingles support their application on a wide variety of roof designs.

Despite their popularity, Asphalt shingles do have deficiencies. They are easy to scar if hot, they are susceptible to blow off in high winds, and they can sag on steep roofs, particularly if hot. Correct nailing helps. Finally, They do not have the dimensional look of tile or shake and their lifespan isn't as long as some other options.

When choosing a roofing system for your home, the factors you should consider are Weight, Durability, Fire-Rating, Appearance and Cost. The appearance you want from your roof and what your budget can afford should be determined before you start shopping. Also, know what type of structure your home has. This will determine how much weight the structure can hold and whether it will be necessary to reinforce or apply plywood before the new roof application.

When considering the durability of a material, check to see what kind of manufacturer’s warranty is offered and what type of warranty the contractor will offer. Remember, the warranty offered is only as good as the manufacturer or contractor who stands behind it.

The fire rating is a critical factor in selecting a material and protecting your home. Since most roofing materials are combustible to some degree, they may be vulnerable to external fire exposure. Some roofing materials will propagate a rapidly spreading fire over the surface or may allow the fire to penetrate the roofing material and to communicate to the interior of the building; this should be avoided.

The most nationally recognized testing for a material is the guidelines of the Underwriters Laboratories, Inc (generally referred to as the U.L. rating). The criteria used for this testing determines if a roof system is rated Class A, B, or C. Your homeowner insurance premium may also be affected by the fire-rating of your roof. Class A roofing systems do not require frequent repairs to maintain their fire retardant properties, Class B may require some maintenance.

To get an idea of what is available on the market, you can check the local supply houses or ask your prospective contractor for samples and brochures.

Once you have narrowed it down to a few materials that are suitable for your home and budget, you may want to get some addresses of homes that have been roofed with these materials. Feel free to ask your prospective contractor to provide you with proposals for any options you may be interested in.

Even if you are having a leak problem, it does not necessarily indicate that a new roof is imminent. The age of the roof and the signs of deterioration determine if repairs are a viable solution or you need a complete re-roof. See the pictures below for examples of deterioration.

The signs of deterioration on any type of roof system can be attributed to a combination of ultraviolet rays from the sun, storms, insects, and temperature changes. Ultraviolet rays are probably most damaging; therefore it is quite common to find one area of your roof showing more severe deterioration than others. Structural damage from termite, hail, wind, rotting or settling of the house structure or chimney can cause damage that is sometimes hidden from view.

Keeping your roof free of debris is critical to the integrity of any roof system. Also, traffic should be kept at a minimum; only walk on your roof when it is absolutely necessary to perform maintenance such as cleaning the gutters, skylights, or the roof itself. The steeper the pitch or the slope of the roof, the more life expectancy you can expect from your roof.

If you have a TILE ROOF SYSTEM, the life expectancy is 30-100 years. The integrity of a tile roof is totally dependant on the roof underlayment. The tile, itself, can last forever but will not keep your home watertight unless the underlayment is intact. For this reason, it is advisable when installing a Tile roof system to use a minimum of 2 layers of #30 felt, although Code requires only one layer and is acceptable in the industry. Tile roofs can be deceiving when evaluating the condition of your roof. The tile may appear to be in excellent condition; it is not possible to inspect the underlayment without removing the tile. For this reason, repairs on Tile roof systems are more costly than other types of systems. When the underlayment does deteriorate, the only solution is to remove the existing tile, replace the underlayment and re-install the tile. You can anticipate a 5% - 25% breakage of tiles during this process depending on the type of fasteners used for the original installation and whether mortar was used or not. Replacement tile cannot always be secured to match your existing; anticipate the possibility of using a similar tile to complete the project.