Fix Our Roof?

[SweetErika]

We had some asphalt shingles (I'm guessing 20?) ripped off our roof in the storm last week. There's also a section of shingles on the top of the roof that was torn up, but not off, that we nailed back down.

Roofers have been coming by offering to fix the damage, but we're thinking (hoping!) it's something we can do ourselves.

So, does anyone have experience with this kind of situation and replacing and tacking down composite shingles themselves? If so, is it fairly easy and safe (in terms of making a good repair)? Or, is it something we likely need a professional to do?

I'll see if I can get some pics of the damage, though this is fairly straightforward/easily imagined, I think.

Thanks in advance for any and all of your thoughts!

 

[horsie_gurl]

well, my opinion can't be taken too worthy. I have never repaired a roof. haha. BUT as far as i've seen and know about the roof, it shouldn't be too hard. All that i know is that they lay out the row of shingles starting at the bottom and working upward and nail them on. usually if you buy new ones there would be some instructions available. Just if you do it wrong it could possibly end up costing more than just having a pro. But then again, see if someone else posts because i haven't really done this myself.

 

[dcraz]

More than likely, professionals will try to convince you to file an insurance claim and repair the entire roof. Nothing wrong with this advice. It is the best and safest advice to follow. But not always necessary and even with the insurance claim, not always the cheapest (depending on deductibles and increased insurance rates following a claim). At the same time, you want to be sure to repair all the damage, not just the obvious missing shingles.

Roofing, like plumbing or any other home repair can be simple or complex depending on how generally competent you are and how willing you are to learn the basics. Generally speaking, if you are handy with a hammer, comfortable walking around on a roof and willing to take the time and be serious about learning 'the right way', you should be able to patch your roof just fine by yourself. I would recommend going to any 'reputable' home improvement store (even Home Depot or Lowes) and talk to someone that knows what they are doing. I am sure there are also some excellent online resources you can review.

A few words of advice if you proceed. Take notes. Buy a home improvement book that includes a section on roofing complete with pictures. Make sure you buy any special tools they recommend. There are probably not any special tools you would need for a small repair, but making do with the wrong tool can add unnecessary stress to an already stressful situation and might make hinder the quality of work. Take your time and do it right. While you are up there, or even before you will want to walk around and take a real good look at your roof for any less than obvious damage that also needs to be fixed.

Once the repairs are made, you will want to go up into the attic if you can during or immediately after the next storm to look for areas of concern from the inside out (i.e. damp or wet spots in the rook decking that might not make it down to the house below but are obvious signs of problems).

Good luck! And let us know how it turns out!

 

[TBKahuna123]

I'll be honest, I've never patched a roof, I've only done a complete roof. I'm not sure if there is anything you need to check for other than replacing the torn off shingles. I can tell you that if it were me, I'm sure I'd wind up doing it myself. It's important though to make sure that you do it correctly. If your shingles aren't overlapped correctly you'll get roof leaks, etc. If you do a search online and get some how-to resources and think the project is within your scope of ability, then go for it. 20 shingles isn't a ton. If it is a sizable portion of the roof though, I would rethink doing it yourself. The worst part of roofing is that it is hard on the back.

Either way I'd file an insurance claim. That's why you pay for it after all. Also, home insurance isn't like car insurance, where your rates go up if you file a claim. Your rates go up if ANYONE files a claim, so it might as well be you.

 

[AlecBond]

abcde

 

[Horni_Hunni]

Jeez it sounds complicated.... if I was u Id pay its easier and you no its being done right. Im just lazy though good luck either way

 

[AlecBond]

abcde

 

[Weird Harold]

We had some asphalt shingles (I'm guessing 20?) ripped off our roof in the storm last week. There's also a section of shingles on the top of the roof that was torn up, but not off, that we nailed back down.

Roofers have been coming by offering to fix the damage, but we're thinking (hoping!) it's something we can do ourselves.

Replacing 20 or so shingles is well within normal DIY level-of-difficulty. You just have to be very carefull about damaging the remaining shingles as you work the new shingle under the overlapping shingles.

Also, be VERY careful while you're on the roof! One advantagae of using a roofing contractor is that they have all of the experience and equipment required to work safely and without further damaging the roof -- and the insurance coverage to deal with accidents.

AlecCarter's explanation is good info.

However, ...

You should consider the general condition and age of the roofing before you decide to do a patch. If your roof is old, existing asphalt shingles are likely to be brittle and break when you try to lift them -- a hairdryer/heatgun to warm asphalt shingles before trying to lift them probably wouldn't be a bad idea this time of the year; they're more brittle when they're cold, whatever their age.

If the roofing felt under the shingles was damaged, a simple replacement of the missing shingles is going to be a temporary fix at best and could actually cause problems.

If your roofing is old enough, it just might be a good time to redo the entire roof so you don't wind up patching it two or three times a year.

I'd start by asking two or three of those roofers offering to fix it for a detailed estimate -- what they recommend, why they recommend it, and how much it will cost; and if there is a cheaper alternative.

 

[bobsgirl]

Knowing you like I do, SweetE, I probably don't have to say this, but be sure of the trustworthiness and track record of any roofers coming and soliciting work from you.

 

[tkinsc]

How old is your roof? If it is old enough to be within a few years of replacement, you may want to explore an insurance clamin and have the entire roof replaced.

If there is felt or wood damage, you may want to have a professional do the work.

Replacing a few shingles is well within a do-it-yourself job.

 

[AlecBond]

abcde

 

[SweetErika]

The roof was done with the house in '91, so we're looking at 15-16 years. I believe the inspectors said it was a 20 or 30 year roof. We really can't afford to redo the whole thing right now, and apart from the new wind damage, it's in good condition and should last us another 10 years (at least that's what they said in May when it was inspected).

After reading these replies, I did contact our insurance agent to ask his advice on it. I'm sure he's swimming in claims right now, but he should get back to me in the next week or so.

You guys are right, getting detailed estimates isn't a bad idea. I'll see if I can find a few good roofers in the area who have time to come out.

Thanks for the detailed instructions, Alec! If we do it ourselves, we'll definitely use all of the advice offered here.

 

[emptynester]

SweetErika,

If you do hire someone, make sure they carry workmans comp not only on themsleves but their helpers. I have subcontracted new construction for years and have found that to be the biggest problem in our area. You also want to make sure they are licensed and bonded. If you go through your insurance company, I am sure they will only give you names of those contractors who are.

If you decide to try it yourself, as others have said, make sure the felt is not torn or damaged underneath. If it is, you might need to take up a few more shingles around the area to properly replace the damaged felt too.

You can also rent tools if you need any instead of buying them. Just make sure you tell the company you are renting from what you are doing.

Roofers around here put down 15 and 30lb felt with little capnails. The nail fits through the center of a round plastic cap. When it is nailed down to the wood, the plastic cap helps keep the felt from tearing when and if shingles are blown off.

Like AlecCarter already said there is really nothing to it if there is not extensive damage to the wood and felt.

I would consider the pitch (steepness) of your roof, however before climbing on it to do a repair job. Even experienced roofers uses toe boards to keep them from sliding.

You don't want to add to your problems with a medical claim.

 

[Weird Harold]

The roof was done with the house in '91, so we're looking at 15-16 years. I believe the inspectors said it was a 20 or 30 year roof. We really can't afford to redo the whole thing right now, and apart from the new wind damage, it's in good condition and should last us another 10 years (at least that's what they said in May when it was inspected).

Look into your paperwork on the House and see if the roof is still under warranty and what the terms of the warrantee are. If you have a "20 year roof" and the storm wasn't a "100 year storm" or the like, you may have a warranty claim as well as an insurance claim.

 

[SweetErika]

Look into your paperwork on the House and see if the roof is still under warranty and what the terms of the warrantee are. If you have a "20 year roof" and the storm wasn't a "100 year storm" or the like, you may have a warranty claim as well as an insurance claim.

We don't have any paperwork on the house, Harold. It's been through several owners since it was built, and we inherited nothing - not even the alarm code. I can call the previous owner or have my realtor contact her, but she was very neat and organized from what I could tell, and I'm sure she would have given us everything she had. The inspectors just guessed on the age and warranty based on when the house was built, what the roof looked like and the typical warranty for that type of roof.

They're saying it's a once in a decade storm. There was severe damage to most of W. WA, nearly everyone had shingles torn off, and I think they said it was equivalent to a Cat. 2-3 hurricane. We've had two storms do as much damage: in '62 and '93, IIRC, so I'm guessing we wouldn't have much of a warranty claim on the roof.

 

[StrixVaria]

SweetErika,

If you feel comfortable walking around on your roof, then take an afternoon some weekend to volunteer on a Habitat for Humanity build when they are putting a roof on a house. The skilled guys leading the crew will give you hands on instruction which will be invaluable when you attempt your own repair.

Not to knock contractors, but most of them use less than top flite crews who could hardly be defined as professionals. This sort of thing is well within the grasp of any high school cheerleader. I know this because I've led a few roofing crews for Habitat and at one point had to teach cheerleaders to roof a house. By the end of the day, those girls could have given most of the roofing crews that I've seen a serious run for their money.

 

[TBKahuna123]

I doubt the roof would be under warranty. Those things are usually just if it starts to leak under normal conditions or the shingles start to crack, etc. Wind damage ripping the shingles off won't be covered.

The other thing I would recommend is that if you want to try it yourself, go pick up one of the Black and Decker Home Improvement series books. There must be one for roofs, they have one for everything else. I've bought a couple when I did my basement and they are awesome. Easy to follow and well written. And available in most libraries.

 

[trojan_man_co]

roof problems

If you are able-bodied and you haven't gotten any rain damage that has softened your wood on your roof, then there's no need for a professional or even books really.

I've patched my roof and roofed small buildings before. I am going to assume you have standard 3-tab singles. This means, from the top, each shingle has 3 slits almost all the way up them, and then has 3 tabs. Most likely what got ripped off was just a tab, but the same procedure applies for replacing an entire shingle.

Now, if the shingle is not a cross-shingle (not on a peak or valley, but on a flat spot of the roof), it's much easier:

1) Get pliers, a hammer, new shingle, tar (in paint-can, you maybe need 1/2-cup per shingle), something to spread tar with (gloves/paint-mixing stick/putty-knife).

2) Go to where the shingle is missing. Lift the shingle above it up to about a 45* angle. It will be "stuck" to the top of the one that is missing, because when new they have a strip of adhesive to help keep them down. Using the pliers (or whatever you see fit), take out any nails in the top portion of the shingle that is broken (these nails should be hidden by the shingle above it - hence the lifting).

3) Remove the entire top bits of the shingle from underneath the one above it. If it wasn't the whole shingle, and just one of the tabs of the shingle, you can either pull out the entire shingle (recommended, but more expensive) and replace it, or just use an exacto-knife and cut off any remnance from the ripped-tab. (If you just replace a tab, then use more tar, and make sure you cut a tab off of the new shingle such that ti fits like a pizzle-piece to where the old-one was).

4) Discard old shingle, and slide in new shingle. Codes vary by state, but most often you are safe with 3 roofing nails across the top of the shingle (about 2-3" down - where the slits end). Slide this new shingle up under the other as far as the rest of your roof is. Underneath the shingle that is on top of this one, splatter a little bit of tar about where you put the nails. Now let the top shingle sit back on it - tar is adhesive, but won't immediately hold it down (or stick to anything but your fingers/clothes).

5) Apply tar underneath new shingles' tabs, about a table-sppon or so beneath each tab, then press down fimly. You're done!

Should take an amateur (like myself) or even someone who's never done it maybe 15 minutes tops per shingle.

Let me know if any part of this is confusing or if I can help any better.

agreed but some times you want to put a sealent down befor the shingle to help protect your room from future water damage, also tyupically you strip all the broken shingles off at once and do the ones around it so it is a good size section then layer them as the others on your roof lay...

 

[PoeticMusings]

I'm an insurance adjuster, and I've seen about 400 roofs just like yours.

YOUR AGENT WILL TELL YOU TO FILE, AND ITS PROBABLY WRONG. The agent, depending on the state, will always be non-directional or tell you to file, depending on your state and whether he/she is concerned with CYOA.

If its wind, don't bother to file because they're going to give you per-shingle replacement because they can calculate the exact number of shingles to replace. Per shingle replacement for 20 year comp generally runs about 10-15 per shingle, depending on your area. If you have 20 comps missing, you're looking at 200-300.

If you have an ACV only policy (ask your agent if policy is "replacement cost" or "actual cash value" on roofs to figure out), don't file. At 12-15 years, you're going to get about 1/2 the cost to repair. Its not worth your time or increases in premium.

If its hail and you have RCV on roofs, I would file. At 5-8 hail hits per square on top of wind damage, its cost effective to replace the face.

If you do file, be nice to your adjuster. They have very hard jobs (will probably work 80-100 hours the week you see them) and a lot of customers think that by being "tough" - read "an asshole" - they're going to get more. Nothing could be further from the truth.



If you do the work yourself, just make sure you layer the roof properly (ie comp above is laid on TOP of comp below - same for flashings). By far the most common source for roor leaks. You can probably do it yourself if its just a few shingles. It might not look as good, but who wants to spend 300-500 for a hammer jockey to come out for 2-3 hours so that your comp looks perfect?

 

[NippleMuncher]

I'm a retired General Contractor and would be happy to walk you through the repair if you choose to attempt it yourself. As long as you don't have a problem with heights and are relatively handy this is definitely something you can handle.

 

[SweetErika]

I'm a retired General Contractor and would be happy to walk you through the repair if you choose to attempt it yourself. As long as you don't have a problem with heights and are relatively handy this is definitely something you can handle.

Very cool! Thank you, NM. We looked, and it's only a few shingles and our neighbor showed us how he does his (just about yearly, since one part of his roof is just at the right angle to be caught by strong winds), but we want to do it right and I'll let you know if we need assistance.

 

[IMekon]

Fixing your roof

Hi: fixing asphalt shingles is easy and you can do it if you can get to that part of the roof and work without falling off.

The asphalt shingles are not expensive and, because they are flexible, the easiest to fix. get the kind that has a sticky strip running across the top in the middle, because this will help stop them from lifting in the wind.

On a warm day so that you do not break the shingles when you lift them up, carefully lift up the bottom of the highest undamaged shingles, get rid of all the broken pieces then insert and nail new shingles to match the rest of the roof. Shingles must overlap and nails or staples must be underneath the upper layer so that no holes are visible. (only a couple of nails, don't get out of hand)

Think about how the water that leaks through each join between the pieces must run onto the middle of the piece below it and do this all the way down.
I just read the reply about tar. You do not need to put any tar on this repair if it is done properly and you will be happier not getting it on your hands and clothes.

Good luck.