A new roof is a big investment. Sometimes, clients ask if they can give their home a “roof-over” instead of removing existing shingles and roofing materials. Folks hope to save time and money with a reroofing (also called an overlay). The short answer is that we don’t do it–with good reason. When you need a new roof, the problems often go beyond the outer layer. A roof-over is like putting a bandaid on a bullet wound. And it may wind up costing you more in the long run.
What Are the Pros of a Roof-Over?
It may be tempting to explore adding a layer of shingles and waterproofing over your existing roof. Most homeowners are looking to save money on labor costs and the removal and disposal of materials. However, an overlay essentially adds life to your old roof instead of a complete replacement for short-term money savings.
Why Is Removing and Replacing Your Existing Roof the Way to Go?
Your roof is more than the outer layer of shingles. It protects your home from the elements, allows for proper air circulation, and helps regulate heating and cooling. Here are some reasons a complete remove and replace works best when you get a new roof:
- Removing your existing roof allows you to see and fix what’s happening underneath. When we remove and replace a roof, we do a complete inspection and check your roof decking. We’ll go beyond the shingles to check for wear and tear, weather damage, past construction flaws, settling, and shifting over time. It allows us to check the structure’s health beneath the shingles.
- Removing old roofing materials allows us to check for mold and mildew, pests, rotting wood, water damage, broken or deteriorating trusses and rafters, tilting exterior walls, and sagging ceilings.
- Overlaying new shingles on top of an existing layer creates the potential for trapped moisture between the two layers, which leads to rot and mold.
- A roof overlay can make it more challenging to find a leak because of the extra layers of shingles.
- Placing a new roof on top of your existing one adds weight to your roof structure and can cause your roof to sag and stress framing and decking.
- Some materials, including architectural shingles, don’t allow for an overlay.
- The extra layer and weight can lead to ventilation problems.
- An overlay can create warranty issues. Quality roofers can’t offer a warranty when they’re covering another company’s work.
Replace Your Roof with Dry Home?
At DryHome, our policy is simple. We don’t do overlays because we can’t guarantee our work without a complete inspection and the ability to make structural repairs as needed. An overlay may save money in the short term but can cause expensive problems down the road. The extra weight and stress on the roof structure can lead to moisture, rot, ventilation problems, and other long-term challenges. An overlay is simply putting off a tear-off. If you do an overlay, when it’s time to replace your roof, your roofer will have even more material to remove and clear away.
At DryHome, every roof replacement requires a complete inspection to identify potential structural damage. We can address structural issues and shore up decking and framing before protecting your home with a fresh layer of shingles and waterproofing. It’s a quality installation we can cover with a warranty, and our professional team can walk you through getting your roof replacement covered by your insurance. There’s nothing like a fresh start, and your home deserves it.
