- By admin
- In Roofing, Uncategorized
A Homeowner’s Roofing Project Gone Wrong
Last summer a homeowner called me to take a look at what happened to the roof on their home. The homeowners had decided to take on their own roofing project but when a storm with high winds passed through, they ended up with some very undesirable results…
Yikes! Let’s go through some of the mistakes the homeowner made when roofing their own home.
1. Nailed Wrong – Most manufacturers print a line on the shingle to let you know where to nail. The nails on these shingles were too high which is why the roof peeled back in sections.
2. Wrong Ridge Cap – The homeowner used shingles for the ridge cap instead of using the proper ridge cap that is recommended for it, this is important for sealing.
3. No starter or drip edge – The roof was missing the starter strip and drip edge on the gables. The starter helps seal down the edge so wind can not get under the shingles. The drip edge is there to stop driving rain and help with water diversion.
4. Boots – Instead of buying the proper boot flashings for pipes, the homeowner tarred around the pipes. Not only does it not look appealing, when it cracks there was nothing under it to act as a back up.
5. Ice and Water – Of course with our harsh Iowa winters, we are an ice damming climate so it is recommended to use Ice and Water shield on all eves and valleys. Depending on your overhang and pitch of your roof, you can have any where from one, two or three rows of ice and water shield.
6. Vents – The homeowners reused old low profile vents. New vents would have allowed for better ventilation and a better look. Adding new ridge vents along with low profile vents created an issue with the venting in the roof, which is important to the life of your roof. Not having equal intake with outtake will create an issue of air being drawn from the interior of your home, which can create a draft or even pulling of warm moist air into your attic creating condensation on the under side of your sheeting.
A big lesson to be learned…your roof is the most important component to your home and it is not something that you want to skimp on or be reroofing every time the wind blows!