By Kathy Woodard
Special to Shop4Contractors.com
At some point, most homeowners will have to attack the dreaded roofing project. Here are some great tips on knowing your roofing project needs, and how to hire a contractor or a roofer so that your head stays dry and your bank account doesn't get soaked.
In order to keep ahead of the game, do some research and learn about roofing projects. Having some working knowledge of the construction industry allows you to make the best decision when choosing a contractor. Some common things you need to know about a roofing job:
• There are numerous types of roofing tiles, and which ones you choose make a big difference in the total price of the roofing job. Asphalt shingles are the most popular and least expensive, followed by wood shingles. When choosing tiles, don't let your roofer up-sell you unnecessarily. Most tiles now come with a 25-year warranty; it's the labor that most often causes a quality issue.
• You may not need an entire re-roofing. If your roof is less than 15 years old and isn't in bad shape, you may just need repair. If the repairs are extensive however, it might make more sense from a financial standpoint to just replace the entire roof. Get several opinions from contractors.
• Having to remove the current roof adds significantly to the cost of a roofing project. Many times a new roof can be laid over the old one, saving money on disposal and removal costs. Make sure you check your local building code -- many areas allow you to roof over only once.
When hiring a roofing contractor, keep the following points in mind:
• Check with your local home builders association for licensed roofing contractors, and then make sure you check out any complaints against them.
• Use a contractor that has been in business for at least five years -- unscrupulous contractors don't last long.
• Interview several different roofers, and ask them to see different roofing options. Don't fall for high pressure tactics to sell you a more expensive roof than you need.
• Ask for the address of several of the contractor's previous jobs, and for client references you can contact. Then actually check them!
• Make sure your roofer has the proper insurance, and ask for a copy of their liability policy. The last thing you need is a worker crashing through your roof and you getting served with a lawsuit for injuries.
When faced with hiring a roofer, arming yourself with some good background information and checking them out can go a long way to making sure you are not taken for a ride. Don't be one of the thousands of homeowners who make the mistake of not taking the time to hire a roofer they can trust to do the job right!
Brush up on these roofing terms so you can speak intelligently with a roofing contractor.
Deck/sheathing: The surface, usually plywood or 'oriented strand board' (OSB), to which roofing materials are attached.
Dormer: A small structure projecting from a sloped roof, usually with a window.
Drip edge: An L-shaped strip (usually metal) installed along roof edges to allow water to run off to drip clear of the deck, eaves and siding.
Eave: The horizontal lower edge of a sloped roof.
Fascia: A flat board, band or face located at a cornice's outer edge.
Felt/underlayment: A sheet of asphalt-saturated material (often called tar paper) used as a secondary layer of protection for the roof deck.
Fire rating: System for classifying the fire resistances of various materials. Roofing materials are rated Class A, B or C, with Class A having the highest resistance to fire originating outside the structure.
Flashing: Pieces of metal used to prevent the seepage of water around any intersection or projection in a roof system, such as vent pipes, chimneys, valleys and joints at vertical walls.
Louvers: Slatted devices installed in a gable or soffit (the underside of eaves) to ventilate the space below a roof deck and equalize air temperature and moisture.
Oriented strand board (OSB): Roof deck panels (4 by 8 feet) made of narrow bits of wood, installed lengthwise and crosswise in layers, and held together with a resin glue. OSB often is used as a substitute for plywood sheets.
Penetrations: Vents, pipes, stacks, chimneys-anything that penetrates a roof deck.
Rafters: The supporting framing to which a roof deck is attached.
Rake: The inclined edge of a roof over a wall.
Ridge: The top edge of two intersecting sloping roof surfaces.
Sheathing: The boards or sheet materials that are fastened to rafters to cover a house or building.
Slope: Measured by rise in inches for each 12 inches of horizontal run: A roof with a 4-in-12 slope rises four-inches for every foot of horizontal distance.
Square: The common measurement for roof area. One square is 100 square feet (10 by 10 feet).
Truss: Engineered components that supplement rafters in many newer homes and buildings. Trusses are designed for specific applications and cannot be cut or altered.
Valley: The angle formed at the intersection of two sloping roof surface
Kathy Woodard is a home and garden writer, author and consultant and is the home decorating expert for LifetimeTV.com. Visit her for more home and garden ideas at www.TheBudgetDecorator.com and www.TheGardenGlove.com.