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Common Roofing Mistakes & How To Avoid Them

common roofing mistakes & how to avoid them

Roofs are one of the most durable systems in your home or commercial building’s anatomy. When professionally installed and maintained as per the manufacturer’s recommendations, they last for decades. The flip side of the roofing success story is common mistakes home and business owners make compromise their roof’s ability to perform.

Here Are 5 Of The Most Common Roofing Mistakes

In the worst-case scenarios, these common roofing mistakes lead to unnecessary repairs or roof replacements, that cost thousands of dollars. Fortunately, these Top 5 mistakes are all avoidable!

Not hiring an experienced, licensed roofing contractor to do the job

Yes, we’re partial since we’re in the roofing trade, AND we’d rather have you hire one of our competitors and get the job done right than hire a novice company who is still learning the way we all learn – from their mistakes.

Always consult with at least two or three licensed roofing contractors to learn more about their credentials and experience. While a competitive price is always desired, compare apples to apples on those estimates so you aren’t surprised by hidden costs or services. Never forget that while a higher big may not be your first choice, expertise and experience are invaluable and a little extra now could save you hundreds – or thousands – in the long run, if your roofer doesn’t do a professional-quality job.

Improperly securing flashing in the roof valleys

Roofs are designed for multiple purposes, protection from water and the elements is one of a roof’s most important roles. While shingles, tiles, or metal roofs are your first line of defense against water infiltration, they can’t do the job alone. They rely on other materials, including underlayments, flashing, and sealing around penetrations or cut-ins.

All too often, haphazard roofing contractors either neglect to install adequate flashing and waterproofing materials or they do a sloppy job of it. The valleys in your roof (where two slopes join together at their base) is one of the most vulnerable points in a roof’s design and improperly secured flashing leads to sustained water leaks that compromise both the roof and the interior of your building. Flashing should always be installed underneath the shingles, and the metal’s U-shape should face the valley.

Roofing mistakes also include choosing the wrong materials for the roof slope

The right roofing materials for your building depend on a range of factors. Aesthetics are certainly important, but more important are things like the location of the building, it’s weather/sun exposure through the seasons, and the roof slope. Make sure your materials match the slopes –and architectural components – of the building.

Improperly installing the starter row of shingles

Have you ever worked on a DIY tile project? If so, you know how precise the layout lines need to be for that very first row of tiles. Even the most minuscule off-set exponentially affects the layout of the remaining tiles, detracting from their look.

Roofs are equally dependent on well-aligned, well-set shingles to look good, but they are relay on proper shingle layout and installation to properly shed water or debris that lands on the roof. This requires laying the starter layer of shingles along the eaves.

Other shingle mistakes to avoid include:

  • Not aligning the shingles correctly
  • Using the same shingle style but from different batches (or different suppliers), which can lead to variations in how the shingles look
  • Not creating the right shingle overhang on the edge of the roof (too much, or too little, depending on the roof’s design)

Neglecting the attic ventilation system

Roofs protect homes from solar heat gain, but they can’t do this if the attic lacks proper ventilation. Attic ventilation, including high-quality sealing at the penetrations, keeps water out but helps hot air and/or moist air escape when the temperatures inevitably rise. Protecting the attic climate enhances whole-home energy efficiency and comfort, and it also preserves attic insulation and the roof’s shingles.

Give Us A Call And Avoid These Common Roofing Mistakes

The experienced roofing professionals at Dr. Remodel Roofing & Construction are educated and licensed. We have decades of roofing experience behind us and never make the rookie mistakes that compromise the lifespan or integrity of our clients’ roofs.

Contact us to learn more about the right roofing materials for your roof, or to schedule a bi-annual roofing inspection to protect your roof from unnecessary damage or repairs. 469-379-2504.