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Shake |
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Flat |
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EXAMPLES:
Cedar Shakes
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I know a lot of you
out there curse shakes, because they seem to need
a lot of maintenance. But, they are easily
repaired unlike some other kinds of roofs, such as
pitch and gravel.
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Because shakes have
two layers of wood and two layers of felt, they
don't tend to leak in the field of the roof very
often, even when they look like hell.
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They are good
insulators against the hot Hawaiian sun.
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When they get old
and crispy they must be walked on carefully by
roof professionals. Not heavy footed amateurs.
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Shakes are
susceptible to high winds. Make sure the hip and
ridge pieces are refastened every 7 years or so.
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EXAMPLES:
Johns
Mansville Apex 4.5,
U.S.
Intec Brai GBSP4,
hot asphalt (pitch and gravel)
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Most flat roofs can
be repaired with waterproof coating, which are
relatively economical.
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Pitch and gravel
roofs are happily a dying breed, because they are
the hardest to repair. If you've got one, get rid
of it.
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The torch applied
systems, listed in the examples above, are also
great repair systems, which can last up to 20
years. Many clients will do their roofs in
sections, doing the worst areas first,
then eventually doing
the rest as more money becomes available. When
the whole roof is eventually done, we can warranty
the entire thing, even though some parts were done
years ago.
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Metal |
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Shingle |
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EXAMPLES:
Ferro-Union Metal, HPM Metal
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Personally, metal
roofs are my favorite to repair! They seem to
last forever, as long as you keep them coated so
they don't rust out.
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The exposed screw
heads are the most vulnerable parts. They can
back out or rust pretty easy. We use a strong
bonding sealant to keep them protected.
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If you have dents or
rust holes in your metal, they can be repaired by
welding an aluminum membrane, such as Aluminum
Veral, over the
offending spots.
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A bright white
coating can really cool down your metal roof.
They show the biggest improvement in heat
reduction of all the systems.
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Galvanized gutters
are also "weak knee" areas, because they pond
water and accumulate moss. They should be coated
with a urethane or butyl coating every 7 years or
so.
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Examples:
Owens Corning,
Certainteed,
Malarky
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The low end 20 year
shingles are susceptible to wind blow off, after 8
or 9 years. Much more so then the 30, 40, or 50
year shingles.
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These shingles are
usually easy to walk on without much breakage, so
they can be repaired if they are not too crispy.
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Skylights and pipe
vents are often the cause of your leak problems.
Replacing the "pipe jack flashings" around the
pipes can be quick easy fix.
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When the new
shingles are patched in around the old, they will
look much lighter for a while until your mildew
has a chance to grow over it like the rest. You
won't have this problem in the future if you
reroof with the new
algae-resistant shingles, which we highly
recommend. The good news is that to do the entire
roof only costs a few hundred dollars more than
the old shingles do.
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