When the time to invest in your roof replacement comes, research is always a homeowner’s best bet. However, research can get overwhelming once you begin digging into every essential aspect of this project. You could always choose to hire a professional roofing contractor or use DIY roof replacement tips to handle the project yourself. No matter what option you choose, avoid making these six mistakes as you replace your roof:
Neglecting Starter Strips
Roof replacements cannot be completed without a concealed starter surface of adhesive strips. In the absence of starter strips, the shingles are directly installed to the frame, exposing the roof to wind and other elements. A mistake like this can reduce the lifespan of your roof to just months or years.
Neglecting the Ice and Water Shield
For many years now, securing the roof eaves while replacing them using ice and water shield has become a general practice. However, many roofing contractors usually go for a more conventional underlayment. During your roof replacement, you have to ensure that ice and water shields are installed in vulnerable areas, or you may face a greater chance of water damage and leaks.
Relying On Inferior Pipe Collars
In kitchens and bathrooms, rooftop vents are important for filtering all the gas out. Ventilation vents are a common reason for rooftop leaks, as several roofing contractors use collars throughout the bases of the pipes that are not suitable for a long duration. Besides quick wear-and-tear, many contractors also make mistakes when cutting the collars. The slightest of miscalculations can result in a crack that will inevitably expand with time.
Using Caulking for Water Protection
During many renovations, contractors use caulking to make waterproof seals. This is usually done around doors, windows, bathrooms, and kitchens. Caulking is required for every project. However, this shouldn’t be the case when it comes to roof replacement. With changes in the weather, caulking will expand and shrink, resulting in cracks. These cracks will eventually cause water to go into the roof and create further problems, so it is better to use a high-quality flashing system.
Overusing the Flashing
These days, step flashing is a prominent technique for enhancing water resistance in a new roof. This is great, however, many contractors go overboard with this during the installation. Some contracts may attempt weaving flashing and shingles together. While others might nail the flashing to both the roof deck and the walls. Both mistakes can lead to gaps in what was meant to be a water-tight seal.
Ignoring the Roof Deck
A roof deck serves as the substructure for any roof replacement. If the roof deck is vulnerable, the standard of the installation will not matter because the whole roof could be at risk. roofing contractors usually make the mistake of overlooking faults of existing decking and go ahead with the foundation instead of constructing a new one. This may save you money in the short term, however, you will eventually have a poor roof replacement.
Unfortunately, many homeowners find out about these mistakes way too late. Therefore, ensure that during the planning stage, you put a lot of consideration into picking the right roofing contractor. If you opt for doing the replacement yourself, avoiding these mistakes will increase the lifespan of your roof.
