Roofing Expense Tips?

[Outlier]

When I bought my house seven years ago one side of the roof was rough but still worked fine. The other side was an emergency situation. I got some family to help with labor and redid one side including the plywood sheeting. When we got done I said we would get the other side next summer.

That was seven years ago and my roof is leaking again. So aside from getting friends and family to help and buying all my materials cash does anyone have any roofing tips that would make this project cheaper or easier?

I'm looking at no labor cost and a materials cost on ice & water shield, drip edge, shingles, ridge master cap and whatever plywood needs to be replaced.

[ncornilsen]

Cruise craigslist for plywood. I bought a bunch for a project and couldn't return what I didn't need, on craigslist it went.

Other than that... are you tearing roofing off?

[Rural]

We got our plywood sheathing from a salvage/ seconds place. It wasn't pretty, but it doesn't show at all, and we got treated 3/4 inch for less than untreated 1/2 inch elsewhere. I'd say don't skimp on the ice and water shield, maybe even more than the shingles, but do comparison shop -- there's a surprising difference in prices for the same exact thing.


If you were doing the whole thing, I'd be pushing you to consider metal so you wouldn't have to do it anymore.

[LifesABeach]

I'll 2nd the question of whether you are planning to tear off the old roof.  I'm assuming yes, since you mention that you will replace some plywood.  Since your roof is leaking already, I'd recommend a tearoff, but you technically can install a 2nd layer of shingles if you currently only have one layer.  If you decide to do a 2nd layer, make sure you use longer nails (maybe 1/2" longer to be safe).  Most shingle manufacturers call for the nail to penetrate wood decking by 3/4" or to penetrate all the way through plywood decking.

Do you have a coil nail gun?  If not, you can likely rent one (or maybe 2), which would make installation much quicker.  Just be sure to properly adjust it so as not to over drive the nail.  Also, be sure that you're driving the nail perpendicular to the surface; a nail driven at an angle can more easily tear through the shingle. 

Don't skimp on the sealant that you'll use on flashings and exposed nails (you'll probably have at least a couple exposed nails on the ridge).  I recommend Sonolastic NP1.  Especially try to avoid the clear sealants as they don't seem to last as long, in my experience, as the colored sealants.

[usmarine1975]

I 2nd the notion of using metal.  Even if you only do the one side, Later you can do the 2nd side.  Yes your roof will look a little weird until the 2nd side is done.  Metal is not more expensive as far as material goes.  And 2 people can easily slide the metal onto your roof.  On a rental that I just put metal on I didn't remove the shingles.  I simply took oak lathe that I had laying around and screwed them across the roof and then fastened the metal to the lathe.  The shingles give a moisture barrier.

Note If you have plywood or structural issues you shouldn't just cover your shingles with Metal.  My roof was in great shape it just had 3/4 planks which would have needed removed for Shingles but for Metal not necessary.  The lathe Also needs to be screwed on pretty tight making sure you hit joist and not just the sheeting.

I love the metal.  I will finish the rest of the roof in a year or so when I have the time.  The metal cost a little more but I will never touch that roof again.

[Outlier]

Update: We got the shingles stripped off the front of the garage but not the front of the house. The areas that were leaking have had the underlying OSB replaced. The main problem was that the roof cap connecting the garage to the house wasn't tall enough which left water pooling on the roof. That's fixed now and I'm getting 13 square of 3 tab shingles that match the back of the house tomorrow.

I agree with everyone that said go metal even if it's just half. I'm not doing that though because I don't plan to live here for much longer and I don't want anyone noticing the difference between the front and the back. People don't put money into real estate that has odd or questionable attached to it. I'm putting up the same brand and color shingle that's on the back.

I hope it's the last time I ever carry a shingle up a ladder. I'm all about metal roofing from here on out.

[usmarine1975]

Yea if your planning to move soon I wouldn't do Metal either.  Not sure if that was mentioned or not.  And your right people don't like a residence that is mismatched.  Good thinking and good luck hauling those shingles.  Your supplier didn't deliver them to the roof? 

[Outlier]

Yea if your planning to move soon I wouldn't do Metal either.  Not sure if that was mentioned or not.  And your right people don't like a residence that is mismatched.  Good thinking and good luck hauling those shingles.  Your supplier didn't deliver them to the roof?

Home Depot had the option of rooftop delivery but it costs more and we only have enough time to get the garage done before we get rain. I bought all the materials to finish the project but It's going to take a few weeks to get enough nice weather to finish everything. The garage will be done tomorrow though and it's the area that was leaking so I'm happy with that for a week or two.

[usmarine1975]

If you have a roofing supplier I would check with them.