Superior Roofing & Construction

Ventilation:

Ventilation is the most important factor to consider for any roof system, often overlooked by contractors.

In order for the manufacturers to honor their shingle warranties, they require installation over only well-ventilated roof decks. In other words, INADEQUATE VENTILATION EQUALS NO WARRANTY!!!! We include a thorough, comprehensive inspection of your ventilation needs with every roofing estimate. In addition to warranty requirements, ventilation also helps rid excessive moisture, heat build up, & thermal transfer to the living area of your home, often improving your heating & cooling costs.

Ice & Water shield:

Indiana has a wide variety of weather during the course of the year. Blowing, wind-driven rain & ice dams in the winter are the most common source of roof leaks. Either of these can occur even if your shingles are installed correctly, following the manufacturers specific instructions. The answer? Ice & Water shield. This is a self-adhesive underlayment that is attached directly to the wood roof decking on your home. When shingles are applied, this material actually seals around each nail, creating a water-proof gasket. If water gets under your shingles, it cannot get to your wood decking and will run out harmlessly into your gutter. Ice & water shield is typically installed along all eaves (gutter edges), up to a point at least 24” beyond the exterior wall of your home. It can also be installed in valleys & around chimneys, walls, & skylights for maximum protection.

Decking is the wood beneath your shingles. Manufacturers have requirements for this as well, for their warranties to apply. Decking must either be 4'x8' sheets of plywood or OSB, or 1" nominal thickness boards, no wider than six (6) inches. (Commonly referred to as 1x6 boards) These boards are common on older homes. However, over the years these boards dry out & shrink leaving gaps between the edges. Since Proper Nail Placement requires us to nail shingles only in exact areas, this would often locate nails in gaps instead of into wood holding the nail in place.  These aged boards frequently also have knot-holes that have dried out & fell into the attic area of the home, again leaving a void where a properly placed nail would not be driven into wood. Older homes also may have 1x8, 1x10, or 1x12 boards that are not approved for shingle warranties. A minimum amount of rotted, broken, or knot hole filled 1x6 can be removed & replaced with new boards. However, significant amounts of these defects, excessive gaps or boards wider than 6" require a layer of plywood or OSB be installed over the old boards to achieve a solid, smooth, structurally sound deck for the application of felts, metal edgings, and shingles. Although a close inspection in the attic area of your home can help determine the condition of your deck, we include a per foot cost to remove & replace boards, as well as a `worst case scenario' cost of installing a new deck over your entire roof if your home has the 1x style of decking. Final decisions regarding decking costs can typically only be made after the old shingles are removed and a complete deck inspection can occur.