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San Diego Roofing Contractor Education Platform

Month: April 2021

Should You Fix Your Roof or Fully Replace It?

Carmen Lawson

The Proper Questions To Get The Proper Solutions

Roof leakage can often evoke panic in building owners and operational managers who have no clue if the fixing work will be fast and cost-efficient or the opposite. Thus, both building owners and administrators should be able to evaluate the scope of the problem to find the most suitable solution. A solution where the building is properly fixed without wasting any time or money. So how can we evaluate the issue and find out if it’s a low, medium, or high priority?

1st step: Assessing the Problem and Its Origins

Not all leaks are the same: they may occur on tiny punctures that can be sealed quickly or they can be apparent indicators of major roofing damage. When building owners and administrators find a leak, they must assess the severity of the damage by evaluating its culprit before coming up with the most suitable fix. For example, did any exterior events emerge that may have aggravated the problem?

Once any prior events can be identified, owners and administrators should be able to collect as many variables as necessary. For example, when or where does the water show up? How much? For instance, if the leak emerges only during rainfall, it may not be a leak but a problem with the HVAC or hydraulic network. Once the managers notice a leak, they should take the following actions quickly:

  • Outline the spot of the leak on the floor using tape. This will make the job of the roofing worker easier and faster. Instead of inspecting a whole 140.000 sq. feet roof, they can easily narrow down their concentration to a 20X20 spot.
  • Note down as much info as necessary to help your roofing experts and set the ground for a successful roof repair.
  • You can also gain important insight by accessing the building’s maintenance records, especially if the problem was formerly noted during a past check but wasn’t treated immediately.

2nd Step: Find The Most Suitable Solution That Matches Your Needs & Budget

Once the facilities administrator or building owner has found the culprit and severity of the problem, the next step is to come up with the most suitable solution that not only fixes the issue, but is also aligned with the owner’s needs, goals, and budget. The following are important factors to take into account:

  • How old is the roof
  • Any previous roof maintenance records/work
  • The building’s use
  • The owner’s plans for the building

For instance, if the owner intends to sell the building in the future, any fixing tasks should be limited to only the most urgent and crucial ones. However, if the building owner intends to keep the building for a longer period, extensive and serious repairs may be the best decision to expand the roof’s lifespan and boost the value of the building. If the issue is broad enough e.g. a dampened insulation or serious wind damage, the initial cost for a total replacement could be more justified and reasonable compared to paying often for minor repairs that add up.

Similarly, buildings that host people or costly equipment clearly need a total repair immediately, whereas uninhabited buildings or those who keep equipment and stuff that is not impacted by water and weather damage might be good candidates for a quick and temporary fix (while the owners improvise a more lasting solution to the problem).

2 Steps To Fix A Leak. Evaluate and Plan

Before owners or facilities managers dive into a solution when they deal with an unexpected leak in their roofs, they should pinpoint the origin of the leak and the severity of the issue. With the proper insight, it’s much easier to evaluate all available options and devise a solution that caters to the owner’s requirements.

Should I Detach The Roof Insulation Before A Roof Replacement?

Carmen Lawson

Thinking of getting a new roof to replace your old one for your San Diego home? You may also wonder what you have to change in your remaining home space e.g. the decking and roof insulation. Perhaps you may need to change, fix, replace or detach the insulation before the new roof replacement takes place. So what does a roofing expert do in this case? Let’s address all these questions and more in this report.

What does an expert actually replace?

Many wonder if they have to take off insulation before the replacement job starts. In the majority of instances, the answer is NO. Provided that your roof’s decking or otherwise the layer beneath the shingles stays put and unaffected by damage, your San Diego roofing manufacturer will probably leave it as it is. Alternatively, they will detach the shingles and asphalt and leave the deck layer intact.

The cavity insulation lays beneath the deck layer, opposite the roof’s studs and sheaths. Thus, there is no valid reason to do any work to your attic’s insulation unless you encounter some kind of impairment on the deck. In this event, you may have to switch insulation once the roofing contractor tears off the deck boards. In reality, many houses with incomplete attics do not have any insulation layers but they are supported by fiberglass batts or loose-fill insulation among the joists laying on the floor. Regardless of the method, the insulation should remain intact while the roofer works on your roof.

Keep in mind that some houses have insulated roofing set-ups such as compact, low-slope, or cathedral shape tops. The constructor may have added solid foam over the deck sheathing in such cases. Here, the expert will reveal the insulation once they take off all the shingles.

However, you won’t have to worry about taking it off, at least in most circumstances. The majority of roofing experts are totally familiar with the insulation process and they will be able to tell if the rigid foam layer requires replacement or not.

Leakage May Bother Your Insulation

When leakage occurs, roof impairment typically occurs as a result. Even if you don’t personally spot any drippings or signs of leakage before the roof replacement, once the contractors remove the shingles, they may reveal moldy, dirty, or shattered deck boards that need to be switched.

If you encounter serious leakage, this is an indicator that excess humidity has penetrated through your insulation. When fiberglass insulation becomes moist, its thermal regulation powers will reduce remarkably. The liquid water molecules mimic the air containers among the glass parts, resulting in the formation of mold and potentially the weakening of insulation. Therefore, if you find that your fiberglass insulation has been dampened along the way, you may need to replace it entirely as soon as possible.

If the roofing expert notices that mold has spread beyond the decking layers to the walls and home interior, they may suggest more drastic measures and methods e.g. getting a mold control service. Typically, however, there will be other indicators of major damage.

Your roofing expert may also check the deck boards and see whether they are too flexible and light–this is an indicator that you have a ⅜” plywood set-up in your roof. Some years ago, the typical standard thickness was ⅜”. However, nowadays, a San Diego roofer usually chooses boards that are ½” or ⅝” thick, making the roof a tad stronger. Thus, in case the expert finds that the previous board is outworn and too thin, they will suggest a replacement.

In this case, the contractor will detach the decking parts that need fixing and swap them for new and sturdier ones. This method though may require the addition of new fiberglass batts as well together with a rigid or fill-in insulation layer, once the new roofing project finishes.

Your Re-Roofing Project is An Ideal Time for Insulation

If you have to get a new attic or roof insulation, the perfect time to do it is when you get a new roof as well. This is particularly ideal if you are having rigid foam insulation, or when you have to detach the roof shingles to reach the sheaths. Occasionally, experts may provide some fill-in insulation assistance as well. They simply detach a part of the deck and place the hoses inwards from the roof’s top, which helps prevent the estimation of excess insulation and throughout the entire surface from the interior. it’s wise at this point to ask your roofer about the entire gamut of their offerings.

Even if you have insulation support already, if you often encounter coldness, this may be a sign that you need more insulation layers. Getting a higher quality insulation system may shrink your yearly energy bills by as much as -$600. A San Diego home energy expert may check your attic insulation structure and inform you if you need a fix or not. Since a great deal of your energy expenditure relies on it, it’s obviously worth the investment.

Thus, even though your new roofing makes a great opportunity to check and possibly fix your insulation, it’s not necessary in all cases to detach it before the roofing work starts. That’s a plus as it will save you some time and effort.