When was the last time you checked on the roof of your home? Doing a roof check goes beyond giving it a quick glance while cleaning out the gutters. While you’re up there, you may have noticed some areas that need reworking. Try not to let roofing issues fester. It’s best to handle them immediately. But first, look at what you need to know before reroofing your home.
Your Roof Is an Onion
Remember, a roof is not clear, cut, and dry. Think of it like an onion. Onions have layers, and roofs do too. They come with different components, and you’ll need to keep all these in mind:
- Shingles
- Underlayment type
- Starter type
- Ice and water shield
- Flashing
When reroofing, the roofer may need to update some of these areas too. This could add to the work timeline and the price. Furthermore, the additional roof layers could affect the estimate of shingle weight for the disposal process.
Keeping the Era in Mind
Do you know when contractors first built your roof? Your roof’s age is vital to the maintenance and updating process. The parts you include on the roof need to have the same time frame.
The quality of your roof could last up to 60 years, and you never want to include parts that will only last for about 10 years. You’ll need to update your roof a lot sooner than expected. Going through this process once is long enough, and there’s no need to speed up the timeline for the next reroofing.
There Are Two Warranties
Reroofing isn’t all bad news. You get some perks too. When you reroof your home, you get two warranties: one for the installer covering issues and another for the manufacturer covering defects. If there’s ever an issue with either, you get full coverage and don’t have to worry about additional costs.
Check with the manufacturer and installer for their warranty timelines. They might not match up, but you want to get a deal that lasts long enough that if any problems arise, you’ll catch them immediately.
Looking for Experience
Get a roofer with some experience. This is not a job for anyone off the street, and it’s not a DIY job, either. Find a company that knows what they’re doing. Getting a warranty for the work only matters if they’re credible. Otherwise, they’re wasting your time.
Ask to see some of their previous work and check with referrals. Word of mouth is sometimes the most credible source you can turn to. Check with your neighbors, friends, and family members to see if they have any referrals for you.
Not everyone knows what goes into reroofing their homes. But now you can say you do.
