Replacing Your Shingles – It Happens to Everyone

The average life span of your roof shingles is approximately 18 to 20 years.  This will guarantee that at some point in your life you will have to hire a roofing contractor to replace your shingles. When it comes time to replace your roof there are some important issues to consider before signing a contract with the first person who comes along.

Guide to Roofing - Professional Home Inspections in Barrie

The quality of shingles is very important when deciding to install new shingles. If your home is a typical subdivision built model then it is most likely that the builder installed the cheapest shingles that were available at the time.  Today there are many different styles to choose from and the upgraded shingles now even come with Algae Resistant built in.  Older roofs would have copper or other metal strips installed to prevent the buildup of algae, which would dis-colour shingles and lead to early failure.

In Ontario you are required to install a minimum of 3 feet of 15 lb felt paper around the perimeter of your roof.  Most quality roofers use a ice and water shield for greater protection.  B.C Roofing from Midland only uses Grace Water and Ice Shield which is considered the premier product for water and ice protection.  The ice and water shield provides secondary protection in event of shingle failure or ice dams which cause water to back up on your roof.

moisture damage to sheathing

Installing properly designed attic ventilation to allow heat from the sun to be removed in the summer and moisture in the winter.  Lack of ventilation is one of the major causes ice damming in the winter.  A properly designed attic will have soffit vents along the perimeter of your roof to allow for air intake and then a vent system at the higher portion of the roof for exhausting heat and moisture.  Ridge vents are the most effective type of roof vent and the type used by B.C. Roofing on their new and re-shingling projects.  Call Brian Cooper at 705-715-7529 for a personalized visit and quote when you need a new roof installed.

When choosing your roofing contractor there are some important points to consider.  Is the roofing company licensed with the Province of Ontario? Do they have valid liability insurance that covers you and your house while they are working on it?  Can they offer proof of WSIB coverage and is their account in good standing?  Roofing companies that cannot provide proof of their workmanship and performance, otherwise you could be paying for one type of new roof and getting another.

As a professional home inspector I am amazed at the amount of new homes that are being built and the upper floor is missing the required felt paper or ice and water shield, and these are new homes being inspected by government inspectors. So, you can imagine what some roofing contractors are doing on homes where there is no follow up inspection being performed.  I have seen new shingles installed and the step flashing has not been properly sealed or the valley metal is almost rusted out but still re-used. Sometimes when you hire a roofing contractor,  you will get what you pay for!