Articles

It's What's on Top that Really Counts

April 15, 2006

When it comes to protecting the home, it's what's on top that really counts. On top, as in the roof.

It's the home's first level of protection -- against sunlight, rain, snow and wind -- but the last thing a homeowner usually thinks about.

When it comes to protecting the home, it's what's on top that really counts. On top, as in the roof.

It's the home's first level of protection -- against sunlight, rain, snow and wind -- but the last thing a homeowner usually thinks about.

"No one thinks anything of the roof until it leaks," says Bill Good, executive vice president of the National Roofing Contractors Association, an Illinois trade group.

Unfortunately, when a roof goes bad, it can be one of the homeowner's biggest -- and most expensive -- headaches. A leaky roof often means interior water damage, so there are phone calls to the insurance company and a restoration contractor.

A typical roofing replacement job on Long Island, N.Y., which includes tearing off the old roof and installing a new layer of asphalt shingles, runs about $6,000, says Keith Kaval, co-owner of two companies that specialize in roof replacement. "That figure is for a shingle with a 30-year rating," he says. It doesn't include replacing sheathing, fascia boards or soffits, all areas that might have rotted away, or new gutters.

Hold on. What do sheathing (the wood underneath the shingles) and fascia boards (where gutters hang) have to do with roofing? A new roof means simply replacing shingles, right?

Wrong. The roof is one of the home's most important "systems." It's how an exterior shell sheds moisture. Home systems, like plumbing and electrical, are several components working together to perform a larger series of similar tasks. A roofing system primarily consists of the following:

  • Wood sheathing: This is also called the deck.
  • Underlayment: This is typically a fiberglass-reinforced paper that helps shingles lie flatter and keeps the wood deck dryer.
  • Leak-barrier membranes: These prohibit water intrusion, including ice-damming, at critical spots, such as the roof's outer and inner edges and in valleys.
  • Flashing: Metal material formed to stop leaks at vents, pipes and other objects that extend through the deck.
  • Ventilation: Fresh attic air prevents mold and moisture from damaging the underside of the sheathing and keeps homes cooler during warm weather.
  • Shingles: The exposed layer that battles the elements, especially wind and water.

So, to say roofing is just shingles is like saying plumbing is just water or electrical is just outlets. Yet, far too many homeowners consider a new roof simply a new layer of asphalt shingles. In fact, most think it's OK to cover an existing layer with a new layer of shingles.

In their lifetimes, homeowners might purchase just one new roof. Making poor decisions on such an important protective barrier can lead to moisture problems, either inside walls or above ceilings, and structural damage.

Online assistance

More than 80 percent of home roofs nationwide are covered with asphalt shingles. Other common roofing options include wood shingles, slate tiles and metal. Here are some online roofing resources:

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