When you’re doing roofing installation in Plymouth, MI or the surrounding area, there are some common issues that you should look out for carefully. These are frequent pitfalls that many others have fallen into before, but since they have, you won’t have to take the same spills.
The Wrong Slope
It might seem like you can just use whatever shingles you can find that match the type and appearance of your roof, but this isn’t actually the case. Obviously, this is going to widely vary based on your specific circumstance, but if you’re using something like tile shingle, asphalt or wood, every four units you go up, or “rise,” you’ll need about twelve units across or “run.” If you don’t get this right, your roof could leak and dump water on your head, which defeats the entire point of installing a roof.
Forgetting About Attics
The thing about your roof is that it really does essentially function as one cohesive unit. There are different parts to it, but it’s all connected. This means that if you don’t pay attention to making sure the attic itself is ventilated, you’re going to end up with shingles that wear out much quicker than normal. In the meantime, it’s going to cost a lot more to keep everything heated than what you’re used to spending. It’s common to forget the attic when worrying about ventilation and other concerns.
Trying to Recycle Metal Flashing
Usually, recycling is a good thing, but there are definitely some things that you shouldn’t try to use again. The metal flashing on your roof is an excellent example of something that you should really avoid trying to use a second time. This is because the purpose of flashing is to keep water of any kind from making its way into your house. In Plymouth, MI, this is especially relevant, due to all of the snow you can expect in the winter, but it also applies to all times of the year.
Regardless of who is doing the installation, it’s important to make sure that the flashing isn’t used again, because even if it looks fine, it’s often going to be significantly subpar compared to new flashing, and this will often result in leaking over time.
Forgetting Drip Edges
This part of the roof is essential to make sure that water doesn’t leak into the house since a leak edge helps to direct water away from the roof. This is also the reason why it’s important to install a leak barrier.
Ventilation Problems
It might seem strange to think of ventilation when you think of roofing since most of the time ventilation is something people associate more with rooms or air conditioning, but it actually is important to make sure that the roofing itself has ventilation. The reason for this is in order to avoid situations where heat builds up improperly since this can melt snow or ice on the roof in a way that causes leaking.
Trying to Go Without a Permit
In general, you will most likely need a roofing permit in order to install a roof that’s new. If a permit isn’t obtained, whoever owns the house could ostensibly get in trouble. You could end up getting a fine or being forced to remove the roof at your own expense. It’s also possible that you could end up having issues keeping insurance for the roof as well. So, if anything happened to it, you might not be able to actually collect the damages like you normally would be able to otherwise.
Failing to Install the Roof According to Proper Specifications
When a roof is manufactured, the manufacturer will always have a list of instructions and specifications for exactly how that roof needs to be installed. This is often quite extensive, even going so far as to outline how many nails should be used for every shingle. If this procedure is not followed to the letter, then the roof could end up losing its warranty. If the roof fails at some point before the warranty is up, you’re going to want it to be covered, and installing it properly is key to that end.
Putting Up Layers Illegally
It’s actually not legal to put up a new asphalt roof before taking off your old roof first. In other words, it’s important to make sure that you check to see whether you’re allowed to put up layers of roofing one on top of the other in your particular area. Obviously, a contractor will likely know this ordinance, but it never hurts to check with local laws first to be sure. This is especially the case if you’re trying to do it without a contractor.
But even despite local laws, it’s not usually a good idea to try installing new shingles without first stripping the old ones. You’re going to want this done at least so that a contractor can check to see if there are any weak spots on the roof that they need to be careful about. These areas are going to be hard to identify if any part of the old shingles are still there.
Uneven Materials
Another problem that people often have is when they try to use shingles that don’t belong together. It’s important to get asphalt roofing all from the same batch if at all possible. When the shingles are instead bought from different suppliers, this often causes a number of different issues. At the least, it’s going to make the roofing look strange and inconsistent. It could also lead to issues in the roof due to the unevenness of the shingles. This is why consistency is important.
In the end, the most important thing you can do when it comes to home improvement in Plymouth, Michigan, is to make sure that you find contractors that specialize in your specific issue, and that have knowledge of the local area.
For more information about contractors that can help you right away with this issue, please contact us at your earliest convenience.
