Advice on Building and Repairing a Roof
By Mark J. Donovan
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DIY roofing takes unique skills and strength, so before you decide to tackle a do it yourself roofing project make sure you can honestly say to yourself that you have both. Also, your home’s roof is one of the most important aspects of your home. If it leaks you will damage the interior of your home and much of its content. Consequently, unless you are already skilled in roofing a home, I highly advise not to tackle this project on your own. Roofing is also extremely dangerous. One misstep and you can find yourself on the ground with a broken back or worse.
If you do have some experience with roofing and feel compelled to tackle your own diy roofing project make sure that you are up to date on the latest roofing materials and products. |
In particular make sure to use an ice and water shield. Ice and water shield is a very sticky material that helps protect your home from ice dams and water damage. The ice and water shield should be applied the first 3 to 6 feet from the edges of the roof. In addition, use it in the roof valleys and around chimneys and other roof protrusions. Also use it where any roof line butts up against a wall. Make sure in this situation that the ice and water shield goes up the wall by at least 12 inches.
| Another important roofing material to use is flashing. Make sure you use step flashing against any adjacent walls to the roof. Also use lead flashing around chimneys. In addition, you may also want to use flashing in the valleys, depending upon the look you want to achieve with your roof. Copper flashing is often used in the valleys of high end homes.
Drip edge is another major item that should be installed around the perimeter of the roof before installing the new shingles, to prevent the wicking of water up underneath the bottom/edge roof shingles. |
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When repairing a roof, or re-shingling a roof, remove all of the old shingles first.
| Many shingle manufacturers will void their shingle warranties if you install new shingles over old ones. In addition, after removing all of the old shingles make sure to check for any damaged roof sheathing. If there is, replace the damaged areas before installing the new shingles.
Avoid any diy roofing project on either extremely hot or cold days. Roofing in extreme temperatures can lead to damaged shingles or prevent them from lying properly on the roof. From a safety perspective, if you are roofing a steep pitched roof, consider using safety lines and a harness. Also make sure to wear soft sole work boots with good treads. |
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For more help on Shingling Your Home’s Roof, see HomeAdditionPlus.com’s Asphalt Shingle Roofing Bid Sheet. The Asphalt Shingle Roofing Bid Sheet will help to ensure that your roof won’t end up with a blue tarp over it and a dumpster sitting in your yard for weeks as you wait for the roofing contractor to come back and finish roofing your home.
Asphalt Shingle Roofing Cost Estimator
Related Roofing Information
Additional Roofing Resources from Amazon.com
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