4 Mistakes New Roofers Make

Having to get a roof replacement can seem expensive, and it may be tempting to look for new roofers who are cheaper or even go with DIY roofing. But, while you may save money in the short term, you’re likely going to be dealing with construction problems that lead to more expenses and possibly severe damage if your roofer doesn’t know what he’s doing. 

There’s a lot that can go wrong if you don’t know what you’re doing on a roof.  Here are four of the most common problems new roofers make - whether they are a new business or a homeowner trying their hand at DIY roof replacement. 

1. Not tearing down to the decking

This is a big mistake that new roofers make.  Unfortunately, you’ll also see experienced roofers do this to cut corners and squeeze a bit more profit out. 

The wooden decking is the foundation of your roofing system.  Everything we put on top of the decking is really there to protect it so that leaks don’t get through and into your home. 

Between the shingles and the decking is where the underlayment and leak barriers are installed.  They can be a pain to remove, so it’s not uncommon for new or cheaper roofers to just leave the old system on. Usually, they’ll at least put new underlayment on top of the old, so there is some protection, but this leads to its own set of problems for your home, like:

1. If you’re only replacing a roof every 15 years or so, then there is only 1 day every decade and a half that you have a chance to examine the decking and make sure it’s in good shape.  If you don’t strip everything off, you can’t inspect the decking. You could have rot, leaks, or other problems that you don’t know about. That’s why at Parish Roofing Solutions we always take the extra time to strip down to the wood and inspect the decking before putting a new roof on.
2. Things like leak barriers are self-adhering systems. That means that you just peel and stick them into place. But for them to work properly, they have to be applied to the manufacturer’s specifications. And that means they need to be adhered directly to the decking.  If you just put a new barrier on top of old underlayment, you’re just spending money and not getting protection.
3. Roofs need to breathe.  Proper ventilation is important, but when you add layer on top of layer of underlayment, you suffocate it.  

2. Ventilation

Ventilation is one of the most often overlooked parts of roofing, but it’s also one of the most important. 

The easiest way to handle ventilation when you’re replacing a roof is to just go back in with the same system that was there before. Even new accessories are often just plugged into old systems.  While this may be “good enough” to get by, it won’t be as efficient or work as well as it’s supposed to.

As roofing professionals, it’s our job to make sure we install the best roofing systems possible - and that includes ventilation. The team at Parish Roofing Solutions goes through extensive and continuous training to keep up with all of the new technologies and accessories available. 

You definitely don’t want to waste your money on new ventilation equipment and accessories that are just being tied into an old system.  You want to make sure that your roofer has the experience to set up the system right.

3. Jumping in too soon

This is a big one.  It is easy for new roofers to just want to jump in and start working. Whether that’s a new company or DIY roofing. Well, it might seem like roofing is easy, but it isn’t.

A lot of times new roofers climb on top of a house without the experience they need. Here in Texas, there is no license required to open a roofing company. So anyone can set themselves up with little or no experience and start hammering on your roof.

It’s not uncommon to see a young salesman for an established roofing company decide he wants more of the pie. So he’ll jump ship and start his own company. He may know enough of the lingo to convince you he knows what he’s doing, but he may never have been on a worksite. 

You don’t want to hire a company run by someone who started as a salesman 18 months ago and now claims to know how to do roofing. But you will run into companies like that all day long. There’s no licensing requirement, so there’s no real way of telling. 

Your best defense against this is to hire an established company with a great reputation, like Parish Roofing Solutions.

4. Not having an experienced crew

This goes right along with Number 3. New roofers may not have loyal, experienced, and well-vetted crews.

A lot of times, people just starting in the business have to grab any laborer they can find to get the job done. If you don’t know your people and know they can perform at the level you need them to, you’re just shooting in the dark. Even when the owner has the best of intentions and wants to give the best work, he can end up failing you if his workers aren’t as good as they should be.

An experienced company will have a team of well-trained craftsmen who know the standards they need to meet and work together well.  

When I started my business, I brought a team of roofers that I’d been working with for years.  I knew how good they were, and I knew they would do the job right.  

I’ve always had high standards for my team because I know how important your home’s roof is to the security of your house and family. 

If you have roofing problems in Dallas-Fort Worth, give us a call for a free consultation. We’ll make sure your roof is replaced right!

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