Have You Made Any Mistakes in These Five Roof Replacement Mistakes?

Come spring, many landlords with roofs over 20 years old are considering whether to replace their roofs. How long should the roof be replaced? What materials are most suitable for your home? Professionals say that homeowners often make 5 mistakes when it comes to roof replacement. Come and see if you have made any mistakes?

Myth 1: The roof does not leak and does not need to be replaced

Many homeowners think that they should “make the best use of everything”, as long as the roof is not leaking, it can still be used. In fact, this is a big misunderstanding. Because the roof is a complex structure, it is not only the exterior roof slate layer that will be damaged.

The roof is usually divided into a supporting part and a protective part, and the supporting part is generally composed of wooden beams. Minor damage to the roof slabs is difficult to see with the naked eye, but the resulting leaks can severely damage the internal support structure.

When should you replace your roof? Professionals give 6 reference indicators:

1. The house is more than 20 years old and the roof has not been replaced;

2. When it rains, you can see the gravel on the roof slate flowing down with the rain;

3. Roof slate falling from the roof;

4. The roof is uneven;

5. The roof surface material is already fragile under direct sunlight and ultraviolet rays;

6. Your neighbor starts replacing the roof.

Myth 2: The one with the lower price than the three will win

The so-called “you get what you pay for”, and seemingly cost-effective deals often have hidden traps. At present, the market price of a 2,000-square-foot asphalt roof is about 4,000 to 5,000 yuan. There are differences depending on the shape, slope, and material of the roof. After a roofing project is completed, after labor and material costs are excluded, the profit is only about 1,000 yuan. But some companies can do it with 3,000 yuan. Where does the profit come from? If the quotation is too low, it is inevitable to cut corners. For example, a ditch is formed at the intersection of two slopes of the roof to facilitate drainage. This ditch needs to be paved with a layer of metal plates. The metal plates removed every time the roof is replaced should also be replaced, because the old ones already have nail holes and cannot be used any longer. Also, the old caps (metal or plastic) on the roof vents will need to be replaced. But some companies repaint the removed perforated metal panels or covers for the next customer.

In addition to the outermost roof slates, the structure of the roof includes: roof battens, linoleum, rafters, ridge boards, nail boards, pillar partitions, etc. The materials used for these structures hidden under the layers of roof slabs are the key to the existence of the price difference.

Myth 3: The age of the roof is 25 years

Many businesses have a 25-year roof replacement period, and developers also recommend that homeowners replace their roofs every 20-25 years. So how many years should the real life of the roof be?

The lifespan of various roofing materials is different. Both slate and metal are called lifetime, that is, 50 years; the lifespan of asphalt tiles in old houses used to be 25 years, but now they are also claimed to have a lifetime, which is basically about 30 years. If it is a newly built house, if the developer does not choose high-quality materials, it will have to be replaced within 15 years. If the house is not leaking how to judge whether to replace it? If many tiles are warped, it is necessary to consider replacing them. In addition, the glue should be checked every 10 years. If the project is done well, there will be no need to take care of it for at least 10 years.

There are many devices and measures that can prolong the life of your roof. Ventilation can significantly extend the service life of the roof. For example, an external baffle is placed at the ridge of the roof. By changing the direction of the external wind, negative pressure is created in the roof gap, which speeds up the air circulation and entry and exit of the roof in summer, thereby accelerating the heat dissipation of the roof.

Winter Guard is another protective device. It lays waterproof pebbles between the roof deck and the roof slate where the nail board is located, and prevents snow from slowly seeping into the roof through the nail board gap when the snow melts on the roof.

Myth 4: Roof Warranty Service

After the roof is replaced, warranty and replacement services allow the homeowner to have no worries in any unexpected situation. But please note that there are also pitfalls and misunderstandings here.

In recent years, there have been some “truck companies” in decoration companies. These companies have been established for less than five years. They do not have their own fixed construction team, and all their assets are loaded on trucks. Warranty replacement?

What’s more, the warranty and replacement amount of most merchants is decreasing year by year: from 100% within 5 years to 20% in the 25th year. When it comes time to replace the roof, the homeowner’s wallet will still be damaged.

A stone roof lasts as long as a house, although maintenance costs are quite high. Because the space between the stone flakes and the roof is suspended, people or animals may step on them and sometimes cause breakage, or the stone itself may crack due to quality defects, so it needs to be replaced. He once replaced a 40 cm square stone tile for a client, and the material cost alone cost 800 yuan. The reason is that customization is required, and due to the small local demand, there are basically no manufacturers producing stone tiles, which have to be shipped from the United States or Europe. As for metal tiles, they were mostly used in farms in the past, and now they are also used in residential houses. Metal tiles are made of iron, galvanized, or baked varnish, with a theoretical lifespan of 50 years. However, after years of exposure to the sun and rain, the metal looks very old after fading, and the metal tiles are easy to step on and deform, so most homeowners don’t use them that much. It will be replaced soon.