Do I have to remove the asphalt shingles from my roof before I install a steel one?

Q:

Do I have to remove the asphalt shingles from my roof before I install a steel one?

A:

It is recommended that you remove the existing asphalt shingles from your home before you install any new kind of roofing on it. The reasons are as follows;

• Asphalt shingles are heavy, adding more roofing material on top of this can add to the weight and might cause problems over time it any snow where to sit on it.
• Nails or screws from the old roofing can work themselves loose overtime or with the changing temperatures and come in contract with the new roof. This could lead to a damaging of the new roof.
• It can be difficult to get the steel in straight and level going over existing asphalt, care has to be taken when installing the strapping and new material.
• You don't get the full picture of the roof sub structure so won't know if there is any damage or rot that requires fixing. 

Even though it is recommended that you remove them that doesn't mean that you have too. When you install a steel roof you usually have to strap the roof over the roof deck to create and air space to help the roof ventilate or breath. This strapping can be done over top of existing asphalt shingles, this give you the air space needed and also keeps the steel roofing from sitting directly against the old roofing.

Steel roofing also sheds snow rather well so that there shouldn't be that much weight from snow loads over the winter, this will help negate the concern for the extra weight added from not removing the asphalt shingles.

New steel comes in one piece so that it runs without a seam from the ridge to the eave, this helps strengthen the roof and has less places for leakage.

Sometimes there is no way around it you have to leave the existing shingles on; budget, customer preference whatever the reason it can be done.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc. 

Roofing trends in 2014 for custom homes

Roofing trends in custom homes 2014

Here are some of the trends that have come about this year of 2014 on the roof of custom homes.
Some of the trends have been consistent over the last couple of years and they are considered long running trends. There are other trends that have come about to be more popular in the last calendar year or less and are considered to be newer trends.

Roofing applications in today’s Custom Homes

Here is a list of the trends that have stayed the same over the last several years;

• Large peaked roofs that are now prevalent in most architects plans have brought about the need for torch down roof membranes on the top of houses because of height restrictions that leave the home with a flat top.

• Asphalt shingles are still the most common and prevalent material installed on all new homes. The ease of installation and the price point make them the simple choice for homeowners even though they have the worst durability.

• On houses with steep roofs steel roofs are a normal trend because of their durability and their ability to shed snow.

• Grace Ice and Water Shield is installed on the first 2 feet of all roofs starting at the eves and up the valleys.

• Dark asphalt shingles have and are still the most common shingle installed.

• Black valleys are still the most common because they go with any kind of dark roofing material.

• Enviro-shake has all but eliminated the need or wants for homeowners to have cedar-shake roofs installed, with the composite material looking so close to real cedar plus giving a lifetime product, something cedar cannot accomplish.

• Strip ridge venting is on almost all new asphalt shingled roofs, giving the clean look and helping maximize air flow through the roof cavity.

• Standing seam steel roofs has by far become the most wanted and installed look when talking about steel roof choices. The standing seam gives a richer look to the roof, making it look less like a barn steel roof and more like a luxury material on a custom home.

Here is a list of the trends that have started this year and are growing in popularity;

• Asphalt shingles that have fibreglass backing to help with their durability in high winds are growing in popularity as homeowners try to find a way to get longer life out of their shingled roofs.

• Heavier duty and multiple ply asphalt shingles are growing in popularity for their longer life spans and warranties.

• Using multiple materials on custom homes is slowly gaining in popularity as people attempt to find a way to maximize parts of their roofs that receive the most wear and tear but saving money on the parts of their roofs that do not. Installing asphalt shingles on a high steep roof and then installing steel roofs below on porch or lower sloped roofs helps the longevity of the lower roofs and can also be very appealing to the eye. Or a section of the roof done in steel to help move heavy snow loads off the roofs.

• Composite roofing materials are gaining popularity as homeowners look for alternatives to asphalt shingles but the higher price point is slowing the popularity of it and keeping it to a slow growing trend.

• The colour silver is fast becoming one of the most popular choices for steel roofs as people look to make their roofs stand out instead of disappearing.

• Custom homes are being designed with multiple pitched roofs with flat roof sections that are built lower down to give the roof lines are more dramatic look. These flat roof sections are being waterproofed with a commercial grade roofing membrane that gives a home lifetime of waterproof protection.

One of the biggest debates that people have with their contractors is how much to spend on their roofs. That debate sets the table for the material that you can pick from, the better the roof and the longer it is slated to last the more it will cost. The fancier the look of the material the higher the overall cost of the roof will end up costing.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.

Roofing trends for 2013 in custom homes

Roofing trends 2013

Here are some trends in roofing materials being installed in custom homes for 2013. Some of the trends have started this year (2013), a lot of trends where started in the 2012 construction year and continued into this calendar year. There are trends that have been sustained year over year as well; they are considered the long running trends.

Roofing applications in today’s custom homes

Here is a list of the trends that have stayed the same over the last several years;

• Asphalt shingles are still the most common and prevalent material installed on all homes. The ease of installation and the price point make them the simple choice for homeowners.

• Grace Ice and Water Shield is installed on the first 2 feet of the roof and up the valleys.

• Dark coloured asphalt shingles have and are still the most common shingle installed.

• Black valleys are still the most common because they go with any kind of dark roofing material.

• Steel roofs are gradually growing more common with the ever changing severe weather.

• Enviro-shake has all but eliminated the need or want for homeowners to have cedar-shake roofs installed, with the composite material looking so close to real cedar plus giving a lifetime product, something cedar cannot accomplish.

Here is a list of the trends that have started this year and are growing in popularity;

• Large peaked roofs that are now prevalent in most architects plans have brought about growing trend of torch down roof membranes on the top of houses because of height restrictions.

• Roofs being covered completely in waterproofing from eave to peak to protect against future leaks has become a fast growing trend.

• Strip ridge venting is on more and more roofs that have asphalt shingles, giving the clean look and helping to maximize air flow.

• Composite roofing materials are gaining popularity as homeowners look for alternatives to asphalt shingles and are not worried about the higher price.

• Heavier duty and multiple ply asphalt shingles are growing in popularity for their longer life spans and warranties.

• Using multiple materials on custom homes have started to become a more common practice. Installing asphalt shingles on a high steep roof and then installing steel roofs below on porch or lower sloped roofs helps the longevity of the lower roofs and can be very appealing to the eye.

• Standing seam steel roofs have by far become the most wanted and installed look in steel. The standing seam gives a richer look to the roof, making it look less like a barn steel roof and more like a luxury material on a custom home.

Overall people are starting to understand that they need to spend more money on their roofing materials since the weather and the climate has become more unpredictable. A higher quality of roofing material is showing that it will survive the more severe storms and save you money from replacing your roof in the future.

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.

The changing of roofing materials in today's modern custom homes

Modern Day Construction for custom homes Part 6

In today’s modern world of construction things are changing year to year faster than they did decade to decade in any other previous time period. In this multi part series I will traverse through an entire house starting with the foundation and working my way up to the roof and then to the finishing’s. I will explain what has changed in the last twenty years in custom home building.

One thing that you should be able to take away from this is how important it is to not just hire the right general contractor to build your custom home but how important it is to hire one that is up on today’s building methods.

Here are some changes that have come along in the last 20 years alone;

Roofing materials

Twenty years ago, roofing materials were mostly asphalt shingles. Other less popular materials were cedar shingles and steel roofs.
Today’s roofing material have gone through some changes, but not as many as you would think in 20 years. The staple of most houses built toady is still asphalt shingles. With ever changing weather conditions today’s shingles are lasting shorter and shorter amounts of time. Asphalt shingles (either from the weather or from poor manufacturing) are not lasting as long as they did 20 years ago. This is pushing more and more people to more expensive alternatives to get longer life for their roof. Here are some of the new products people are using and some of the materials that have been around for a long time but have been advanced;

• Enviroshake. This is a roofing material that has been manufactured from recycled materials and plant extract waste material from ethanol manufacturing plants. They are formed to look like cedar shakes, right down to the wood grain that is stamped in them. It is installed the same way that cedar shakes are installed but have a 50 year warranty. They go on black and fade in 6 months to a silver finish that makes them look like a cedar shake. Cedar shakes do not have the longevity that they used too. Enviroshakes are slowly becoming closer to the same price as what it costs to have a cedar shake roof, but they are still more expensive at this time.

• Steel roofs. Steel roofs do not look like a barn roof anymore. There are so many different looks to steel roofs now days that with a little research you should be able to find the style and colour that fits you and your new home. With standing seem steel roofs becoming ever more popular you can now have steel roofs without the look of industrial or agricultural roofs. Steel roofs now come in a wide variety of colours and the paint has a life time warranty. A steel roof should last your home a lifetime. Steel also has the ability to withstand high winds and impact from debris and low hanging tree branches. UV doesn’t seem to have a negative effect on the steel or the finished paint.

• More and more custom homes are covering the roof completely in Ice and Water shield. This is a peel and stick membrane that gives your roof a watertight seal even after the roofing material fails. Twenty years ago they did one row as the norm and it was installed at the eves. Ice and Water shield works by coating the nails or screws that penetrate it with a waterproof coating creating a perfect watertight seal.

• Houses are now having a vent strip installed across the peak, they are then shingled over. This replaces the standard 3 or 4 roof vents. It gives the roof a clean look and adds more square footage of venting to help the roof breath.

• Starter strip and valley flashings used to be painted steel or straight galvanized steel. Today they are aluminum. This allows an easier installation because the aluminum is lighter and doesn’t rust like steel. You can now get aluminum starter and valleys in a variety of colours to help match the roof colour.

• Typical asphalt shingles are slowly being replaced by shingles that are made with fibreglass backing. This is supposed to allow the shingle to stand up to higher winds. Because shingles are failing quicker in the harsher weather, shingle companies have come out with a premium option for asphalt shingles. These premium shingles are 2 or 3 times thicker than the typical shingle and they also cost a fair bit more. Theses shingles have longer warranties and seem to be able to stand up longer to harsh weather then the cheaper conventional single ply shingles.

Look for part 7 coming soon...

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.

Buying local series: Roofing Contractor

Buying local series: Roofing Contractor

When building a new home it is always best to buy from the local businesses in the area or community that you are constructing the home. No matter if it’s your summer home or a second home buying locally always makes more sense. This time I’m writing about the reason you should be having your roof supplied and installed by a roofing contractor locally, I’m talking about the local roofing contractor.

Roofing Contractor:

Something that is often forgotten about is the material that is installed on your roof and the way it was installed. That is the way it should be on a new home, you should take the roof for granted and never think about it because it does what it’s supposed to do and that is keep the elements on the outside.

Now to be perfectly honest roofing a house isn’t rocket science but there are certain things that should be done by the installer to insure that the roof stays watertight for many years to come. So if you’re thinking that you should be getting a roofing contractor from somewhere else like a larger city you are wasting your time and probably your money. Local roofing contractors wherever you build your home or chalet are probably just as good as the one from a larger urban area.

Some of the advantages of retaining a local roofing contractor:

·         They know the local weather patterns and prevailing winds. This will allow them to be able to properly flash your home so that even in the worst of storms your roof stays water tight.

·         Your general contractor will have used a local roofing contractor a fair number of times and will understand the strengths and weaknesses. This allows him to properly supervise the installation of the roof.

·         They will be able to give you advice on what products perform better in the area that the house is being built. An example is if you have heavy snow loads where you are building the home then you might want to go with a steel roof instead of asphalt shingles so that the roof will properly shed snow and water, keeping the ice build up to a minimum.

·         For warranty they are not far away to come over and immediately do repairs on anything that would be there fault.

·         If you have an emergency, like tornado level winds tore shingles off the roof, they are able to quickly come over and tarp the place to protect the inside of the residence. Then they are able to organize a quick and efficient repair. They are also able to give you quotes for your insurance company so that you can have the roof fixed.

·         Since there local you don’t have to drive far to see the quality of their work on other homes.

·          You don’t have to go far to check there references, just knock on the door of a home they did and ask your questions.

·         If your building in a high area and you need your house shingled in the winter, a roofing contractor from out of the area will be reluctant to come up when it is snowing hard. The local roofer is able to be closer to the site and able to work on the job even when they are not ideal conditions.

·         Because they are local they have a certain reputation to uphold and will want you to be happy when they are done, so the service level should be higher.

If you hire a roofing contractor thinking that you are saving money buy getting him from out of the build area, remember you get what you pay for, that means they are not just charging less than the local roofer, but they are also going to commute to the site too. A company that is willing to do this should raise some red flags for you as the homeowner. It probably means that they are undercutting the job just to get it and will try to make the money up somewhere else in over priced extras that they didn’t include in the quote. Other thing a lot of roofing contractors will do is they will take on a job out of their normal area just to keep their crews working. But if they pick up jobs that are closer to their normal area and they can make better money at it because they don’t have to pay their men to travel then you get put on the back burner.

Waiting for a roofer can cause serious delays in the building of your home.

Mechanical, plumbing, electrical cannot be installed until the roofing material is properly installed. Before any of this can happen, you need to install the windows and no contractor will do that until the roof is properly installed.

So when you are building your new home or chalet, or just getting a replacement roof, it’s better for everyone when you get the local roofing contractor to do it and not someone from out of the area.

Rob Abbott

Operations manager

Village Builders Inc.

From asphalt to Enviroshake, here are the main options to choose from when looking for a new roof

If it’s raining while your reading this and you keep looking up at the ceiling expecting to start seeing water drip down on your face, that is usually a good sign that you need a new roof.

These days there are a lot more options for your roof then just asphalt shingles. Here is a list of some of the products available to you:

-          The traditional asphalt shingle has not changed much, sure they are using different materials in them like fibreglass backing, but the actually shingle has not changed much. It is still basically an oil based product. Asphalt shingles are becoming increasingly less reliable. It has gotten to the point were a lot of shingle companies will not even honour there warranty if and when the shingles fail. The average asphalt shingle will be lucky to last 15 to 20 years these days. Because of the changing weather, acid rain and heavy UV light, asphalt shingles curl and fall apart. It has gotten to the point that roofing companies are now installing waterproof products like “Grace ice and water shield” that are installed under the asphalt shingles directly on the plywood sheeting of the roof. This is so that when the asphalt shingles fail you have protection from water penetration into the inside of your house until you can get shingles repaired or replaced. High winds are also hard on asphalt shingle roofs, after a couple of years asphalt shingles stick together so in high winds not just one shingle comes off. The high winds lift and rip the whole large sections of shingles off the roof. Usually when this happens the whole roof needs to be re-shingled. The reason that asphalt shingles are the most widely used roofing product out there today is simply because they are the cheapest. In other words YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!

-          Steel roofing materials have been around for a long time. They have been traditionally used on agricultural buildings and commercial buildings. But with new products and almost an unlimited number of colours to choose from steel roofing has become extremely popular on residential houses. Steel roofing usually comes with a life time warranty not just on the steel but also on the colour. So gone are the days when you have to call a roof painter every 10 to 15 years to repaint your steel roof. Steel roofs are ideal for places that have high winds and extreme weather conditions. Steel roofs when properly installed can be rated to withstand hurricane level wind and rain. With today’s installation methods and insulation you do not here the rain on a steel roof like you used too. If you have a lot of trees with low hanging branches steel roofs are great because it is strong enough to withstand large branches scrapping against and even falling on it. Dirt, leaves, pine needles, branches and anything else that collects on a house roof will not rust or corrode a steel roof. In heavy snow country steel roofs outperform most of its competitors. When snow builds up enough it slides off the roof onto the ground. This is a good thing and a bad thing. A good thing because it doesn’t allow snow to gather, melt and allow water to backup and create a leak. The down side is that if you want to have rain gutters they might get ripped off the house when the snow slides. Also you have to be careful that you do not end up with large snow loads building up above your main entrance door. This can injure people if they slam the door and the snow comes down on their head. Not all roof pitches and configurations lend themselves to have steel installed on their roofs. Depending on the style of the house, steel might not look appropriate. Steel roofing is more expensive then asphalt shingles but it will be the last roof you ever install on your home.

-          A classic product that has been used for generations is cedar shake shingles. They are what they sound like; they are made of cedar and cut into a varying array of widths. Usually there are 3 or 4 different widths that are installed randomly in straight horizontal lines on the roof. After less than a year cedar shingles fade from there light brown colour to a silver colour. Cedar shingles are a wonderful classic look on a house and can give a house a real cosy cottage feel. Cedar shingles used to be the thing to install on your roof for long life. They used to last up to 50 years on house roofs. Not anymore, in today’s weather, UV and acid rain cedar shakes usually don’t make it to 30 years. Also all cedar shingles are cut from new growth tree’s not old growth trees. The belief is that this is a big contributor to why cedar does not last as long.  With dormers and fancy roof lines dirt and leaves can build up and rot the cedar shakes creating leaks. Cedar is prone to mold, mildew and insects. Cedar shake is labour intensive to install; it requires that you put a layer of felt paper between every row of shakes that you install. The product is also expensive to buy. Cedar shake shingles are more expensive then steel and asphalt shingles as a roof system.

• Enviroshake is a product that is new to the roofing world. It has only been around for about 20 years. Enviroshake is made from recycled materials, such as recycled tires, waste plastics and waste products associated with making ethanol from corn and wheat. Enviroshake is manufactured with a grain stamped into its face that looks like cedar shakes and comes in different sizes just cedar shakes. They are also installed like cedar shakes; the only difference is that you have to cut them with a power saw instead of hand knives or hatchets. Enviroshake has a lifetime warranty and is said to last 50 years when installed properly. Enviroshake comes black but fades to silver in 6 months and looks just like cedar shakes. Enviroshake will with stand winds up to 110 mph and water pressure infiltration resistance in wind velocity tests of 105 mph.  Enviroshake is actually rated to withstand a level 1 hurricane. Enviroshake is an extremely slippery product like steel, snow does not sit on it for very long. You have to take the same precautions that you do with steel roofs related to gutters and snow slides. With the world moving toward sustainable products that are easier on the environment and your conscience, Enviroshake is the roofing system that will be that one more and more people turn too. Enviroshake is more expensive then asphalt and steel roofs, it is even more expensive then cedar shakes.

There are many other different kinds of roofing available, but these are the most popular in Canada and the northern United States on residential houses.

So whatever roofing system that you choose, remember that there are a lot of different products out there to choose from, the best way to choose a roof system is with a qualified contractor that can give you proper quotes and install the roof with the appropriate warranty.

If you are looking for a new roof or you need help picking a new roof feel free to email us at robabbott@villagebuilders.ca

Rob Abbott

Operations Manager

Village Builders Inc.

What you need to know about the new asphalt shingle warranties before you decide what to have installed on your roof

There is a new wrinkle in shingle warranties that is going to change everything about the way you shop for shingles.

For decades when you found yourself looking at buying new roofing material, the default was asphalt shingles. What you had to decide was the brand of shingle, the style, the colour and what quality of shingle that you wanted to pay for. The quality of the shingle was determined by the amount of years they were warrantied. So cheap shingles were 10 or 15 year shingles and they went up in 5 or 10 year increments until you got to 40 year shingles that were considered premium.

The big shingle companies have changed there warranties starting this year, they have done away with year warranties on there shingles. They have gone to limited lifetime warranties on all of there shingles. This means that they will warranty the shingles and replacement of the shingles for about 10 to 15 years. After that they only replace the shingles, but you have to pay to have the old ones removed and the new ones installed. It's also a sliding scale on the value of your shingles, so if you spend $10,000.00 on a roof if they replace that amount of money in 15 years you will not get enough shingles to replace the shingles that you took off because of inflation.

It sounds like this system would cost the shingle companies more money because they would have to pay out money for the life time of the home they are installed on because the shingles will eventually fail. Here's the catch, the warranty on the shingles is not transferable if the home is sold. The average homeowner only lives in there homes for 7 years. So on average shingle companies now are banking on the percentages to only have to warranty there shingles for 7 years. That means that they have actually down graded there warranties to below the cheapest shingle they used to sell.

The shingle companies are now promoting this lifetime warranty as a plus and are even charging more for there shingles on average. So they have figured out a way to lesson there exposure with there warranties and raise there prices without giving the consumer anything extra.

So if you can afford it, you should look into other alternatives other then shingles.

There is an ever growing list of alternatives in roofing with the dissatisfaction of asphalt shingles. Also with the price of oil on the rise the gap between oil based asphalt shingles and all other non oil based roofing products is rapidly closing.

But if you have to buy shingles for your roof, go into the purchase with your eyes wide open.

If you want anymore information on shingles or other roofing products feel free to email me at robabbott@villagebuilders.ca

Rob Abbott

Operations Manager

Village Builders Inc.