Roofing advice?

charley96

We had some pretty nasty hail Saturday and last night. My roof is 17 years old and I noticed some of the granules are wearing off the shingles. I noticed a leak on the ceiling next to the wall last night. I inspected it and can't see where any hail damaged it. It's a single layer with a ridge vent and has good ventalation through the soffit.

It's always had full exposure with no trees hovering over it. I think the brand is Tampco if anyone is familiar with it?! Is 17 years about the average lifespan for shingles? I'm hoping State Farm will cover it and not sure if they prorate coverage due to age.

charley96

I'm also wondering if a 2nd layer can be put over the existing shingles? I know that layering is not a good idea but I'm moving in 5 years. My neighbor just got a steel roof and the roofer went over the existing asphalt shingles. I'm not sure if that was a good idea or not.

motorhead43026

If your shingles are 3 tab 20 years is pretty much all your going to get. This hail just finished yours off. Installing shingles over an existing roof is not recommended. In fact some states states won’t allow it, check your local codes. Tampco shingles are economy builder grade shingles used to keep costs down. I certainly wouldn’t use these again unless I was moving.

I just had my 2000 sf ranch with a hip roof done in Landmark architectural shingle, complete tear off old shingles and it was $9500.00.

Good luck with the insurance.

polrbehr

When we had our roof done about 14 years ago, I was advised to just strip off the first layer down to the sheathing, even though it's OK to do 2 layers. He explained that it's beneficial for 2 reasons- one, you get to inspect/replace any plywood if it needs it, and two, it's saving a lot of weight off the house especially for us in the NE (snow load).
But now if you're moving in 5 years, I don't know that I would care that much about whether it's one or two roofing layers, other than it is something you can point to when it's time to sell. I would get at least 5 estimates for the job; we got 8, and they varied quite a bit from one company to the next. At the end of the day we went with someone who was a little more expensive but was recommended by a friend.

charley96

Tamko says it's a 30 year shingle which I'm sure the warranty is not worth the paper it's written on. I know they obviously wouldn't warranty hail damage but the granules wearing off seems premature. I can't even find the damage on the roof where the water intrusion is coming in. It's probably going to be a long wait just to get someone out here to look at it. We got 6.5 inches of rain here yesterday and floods everywhere.

Emlyn

Sounds like it's time for new shingles. I agree on stripping the roof down to the plywood and replacing any damaged sections if any. The insurance company will most likely cover it because of the hail, but premiums may go up.

A steel roof (standing seam metal) is different construction than shingles and can go over an old shingle roof. Those can last for 40 or 50 years or more if done right and maintained. Traditional shingles have to be nailed in individually and securely and an old roof layer underneath will cause shingles to fail prematurely when the nails pop out. If a potential buyer has an inspector who sees a two layer roof and signs of previous water damage in the house a buyer may ask for money towards a new roof or decide not to buy the house. Stripping off two layers of roofing in the future and then fixing unseen damage underneath is more expensive than doing the job the right way in the first place.

joecoulson

We had ours done last year.

My suggestion is to pick the roofing company you want to use first and let them do the heavy lifting as it relates to your insurance company.
They are able to pinpoint hail damage and when it occurred. This makes the claim run through much faster.
Get an architectural shingle if you can, ridge vent if you can (I guess depending on how hot it gets in summer) and make sure they include drip edge (eaves) and flashing (chimney) if needed.
Good luck.

charley96

The existing roof already has the drip edge and the ridge vent at the peak. It's a standard ranch house with a hip roof. Hoping I can get someone out today to look at it. Hopefully State Farm will take care of this for me even though my homeowners always increases every year for never making a claim. If they don't I'd imagine I'm looking at 7-8g's for a new one. Anyone know if the metal roofs are more expensive?

shawn474

We had a similar situation. Going through insurance will raise your premium and the coverage will be prorated to the percentage of the roof affected and age. It may not be worth it on a 17 year old roof......

Layering or stacking shingles is definitely not advised

Emlyn

You should shop around for pricing on a metal roof as experience in properly installing those varies widely. A roofing company's normal summer time roofing crews would not be able to do it without training so labor costs are higher too. I had an estimate done for part of my roof with an experienced company and the cost at the time was 3-4 times the cost of 30 year architectural shingles. Those sections being in metal would have been for appearance rather than function, so I just stuck with good old asphalt shingles knowing I'll not be in this house for the long haul anyway.

charley96

My friend had his replaced last year from hail damage with State Farm on his 15 yr. old roof. They payed for replacement in full with no prorating.

Emlyn

It's always been my experience that roofing and siding damage is covered by insurance after paying the deductible if it is the result of hail and the claims adjuster makes that determination. General wear and tear through age or leaks from a nail pop or bad installation is not covered at all. A manufacturer's warranty on shingles is always prorated, which makes it not mean much at all.

sucks2beme

Most insurer's in Texas put huge deductibles on roofs.A 20 year roof was good for about 5 years. 30 year roofs fared a bit better.
Here in Tennessee it's better. Not all those golf ball sized storms
Finding a good roofer is tough. about half of them are useless. A lot more are
slightly better. I remember after getting my roof done in Dallas the second time,
several guys came around offering to inspect it. Every one of them told me I needed a new roof. NEVER believe a guy tooling through the neighborhood randomly.
Call known guys with a record, and call more than one.

TEAforONE

Check local codes. Here in Rochester,NY, you can have 2 layers of shingles. I have a friend that does odds and ends. He has seen 4 layers. ( not recommended!)

invalid

Tamko shingles aren't really economy shingles, all the dimensional shingles carry a lifetime warranty nowadays, it only covers manufacturing defects not normal wear. Is there anything protruding through the roof in the problem area, or a wall where siding meets the roof? Most shingles won't leak right away in an open area of the roof even if they are in bad shape. I think you should get more than 17 years out of even a 3 tab shingle, if it's properly vented and it doesn't have trees all around it. I have roofs I've done that are over 30 years old that still don't leak. Insurance should cover hail damage, I've replaced hail damaged roofs in the past and insurance paid the bill.

invalid

They make hail resistant shingles also, they cost more than the typical shingle.

pitdogg2

charley96 wrote: »

My neighbor just got a steel roof and the roofer went over the existing asphalt shingles. I'm not sure if that was a good idea or not.

No it is not. They say you can if you put down thin folded styro insulation first over the existing roof. My experience with hidden fastener metal roofing over fan fold insulation is that you will see shadow lines or the old roofing under the metal in a few years.
I roofed my old house in all metal a few years back. It has 100yr warranty on rust and 50yr warranty on the paint. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat and only over a roof with complete tear off and 30# or heavier felt down first. I bought mine through Menards.

All but a small section over my kitchen was a complete tear off and heavy felt down first.

audioluvr

Steel roofing is an investment that will increase the value of the structure and makes it much more marketable.

mhardy6647

Standing seam, baby.
The only drawback(s).
1) When it rains -- you know it.
2) It is interesting when wet, heavy snow slides off.



DSC_9825 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

motorhead43026

Yep, nothing like rain on a tin roof to put you to sleep. I found it comforting, least it worked for me when I was a wee boy.

charley96

As much as I'd like to have a steel roof, I'm outta this hellhole state in 5 years. If I were going to die here I'd do it. Only got a hold of one roofer today, they're all booked up due to the 2 hail storms we've had here. Property values are tanking in my hood so I'm not going the expensive route. The house will sell itself due to all the remodeling I've done to it. It will sell based on the comps so I'm not going to get top $$ anyway. Who knows what the housing market will be in 5 years anyway. Business is dying left and right here in Peoria.

aprazer402

mhardy6647 wrote: »

Standing seam, baby.
The only drawback(s).
1) When it rains -- you know it.
2) It is interesting when wet, heavy snow slides off.



DSC_9825 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

Is the main music room you always show us, above the garage or on the third floor of the dwelling?

displayname

charley96 wrote: »

I'm also wondering if a 2nd layer can be put over the existing shingles? I know that layering is not a good idea but I'm moving in 5 years. My neighbor just got a steel roof and the roofer went over the existing asphalt shingles. I'm not sure if that was a good idea or not.

2nd layer can be risky if you're planning to sell. It will come up on the home inspection, and the buyers might insist on funds for a "properly" installed roof. I know if when we were looking if that came up, we would have pushed for it.

But here you kind of need to know at least the roof basics if you're a home owner. It seems no matter what type of roofing you get, you'll be lucky to get 10 years out of it with all the hail. And when it comes to insurance, the roofers bank on it. They will tell you exactly what to tell your insurance company to help get coverage. Like @sucks2beme said earlier, I've never had a roof "inspected" without the suggestion being a full roof replacement. And your insurance company may or may not agree with that assessment.

Also, right after a storm, watch out for popup companies. Sometimes there are loads of new companies that just appear out of thin air claiming to be roofing experts. Sometimes they are experienced guys who finally made their own company. But often it's guys with a hammer, and knowledge of where to order materials looking for that easy insurance check. Make sure you go with someone that has a good track record and recommendations.

Milito

I've replaced 2 roofs in the last 10-12 years due to hail in North Texas.

There is some good advice given here. If it's like it was in the DFW area, get ready for a lot of phone calls by roofers. We must have gotten over 60 calls or more. We also had numerous ones coming up to our front door. One of the first questions to ask is are they local as you will get some that are out of state and you're out of luck if you have a problem. There are some roofers that follow the hail storms.

I checked out the ones I have used with friends and online reviews. If they hadn't been in business for at least 5 years I didn't consider them. There is way too many fly by night roofers around that rip people off.

I always have them take off the existing shingles and have them use nails instead of staples. I've seen houses in the neighbor where they used staples have the shingles come loose on parts of the roof in high winds and I didn't have any issues.

charley96

I never do business with anyone that approaches me. I know a few contractors around here that are just too busy right now. I'll just have to wait it out till things slow down.

mhardy6647

aprazer402 wrote: »

mhardy6647 wrote: »

Standing seam, baby.
The only drawback(s).
1) When it rains -- you know it.
2) It is interesting when wet, heavy snow slides off.



DSC_9825 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

Is the main music room you always show us, above the garage or on the third floor of the dwelling?

... above the garage. Attic has those little windows, but "just for looks". It is a nice attic, though. Ironically, there's less clutter in the attic than in the basement or my junk room! Mrs. H was pretty adamant that she didn't want the attic full of junk -- so the basement is, instead.

Sorry for the digression from the thread!

TEAforONE

charley96 wrote: »

I never do business with anyone that approaches me. I know a few contractors around here that are just too busy right now. I'll just have to wait it out till things slow down.

This is definitely some solid advice. Good contractors will usually be busy. They don’t have to go door to door like a vacuum salesman.

charley96

The old movie "The Traveler's" with Bill Paxton is good reason to never give $$ to a door knocker.

invalid

Milito wrote: »

I've replaced 2 roofs in the last 10-12 years due to hail in North Texas.

There is some good advice given here. If it's like it was in the DFW area, get ready for a lot of phone calls by roofers. We must have gotten over 60 calls or more. We also had numerous ones coming up to our front door. One of the first questions to ask is are they local as you will get some that are out of state and you're out of luck if you have a problem. There are some roofers that follow the hail storms.

I checked out the ones I have used with friends and online reviews. If they hadn't been in business for at least 5 years I didn't consider them. There is way too many fly by night roofers around that rip people off.

I always have them take off the existing shingles and have them use nails instead of staples. I've seen houses in the neighbor where they used staples have the shingles come loose on parts of the roof in high winds and I didn't have any issues.

Removing the old shingles and using nails instead of staples is solid advice. When we tear off the old shingles it's always way easier to remove shingles that have been stapled instead of nailed. Removing the old shingles is far better than roofing over them for a few different reasons. When you remove the old shingles you can inspect the decking for spongy spots that you might not otherwise know about, also you have a smooth surface to install the new shingles over. Most shingles are metric these days and the old 3 tab shingles were English size, so you can't nest the new shingles over the old ones properly for a smooth looking roof which also causes premature wear.

txcoastal1

charley96 wrote: »

The old movie "The Traveler's" with Bill Paxton is good reason to never give $$ to a door knocker.

Kinda depends on how big the knockers are

mhardy6647

The weight of two sets of shingle roofs on a house is a potential "issue", too. Them suckas (shingles, that is) are heavy.

I believe most bldg. codes allow two layers of roofing (i.e., one re-roof over an existing roof) -- or at least they used to. Of course, we're allowed to buy FIAT-Chrysler products, too. Doesn't a priori mean either one's a good idea.