New roof

A month or so ago I got a letter from our insurance company: Our records show that your roof is 20 years old, so if it's not replaced by such-and-such date, we're going to cancel your coverage.

So I looked through the records that came with the house. I think the roof is actually old enough to drink. Yeah, it's time.

Today we're getting our new roof, and while I have no prior experience with the process these guys are a machine. They were tearing off shingles within 5 minutes of arriving. They have been here about 90 minutes--just about all of the old roof is gone, and they have re-nailed most of the decking. I'm told they should be totally finished by the end of the day.

I figured if I'm going to write the check, I should get to watch. The dogs, by the way, are not digging this.

Thanks for the heads-up on the insurance. We just went under contract to buy a house with a 18yr old roof, so nice to know I'll need to replace it whether or not it's actually necessary.

Also, they redid the roof on our current rental house this past summer and I was also impressed with the speed in which it was completed. My dog wasn't happy either.

I had a 2 layer tear off on my first house - 6 guys show up and clean and redo the roof in one day - it was impressive.

I never knew that about the insurance company and the age of the roof.....

I got some very real satisfaction out of stripping, repairing the damage underneath (a few rafters, some sheathing replacement, and a layer of new ply sheathing over the old lap), and re-shingling the garage. And I saved a not insignificant amount of money.

I was also at it on and off evenings and weekends for more than a month

We will be farming out the house (which is also a two-story and steeply pitched).

I talked to our insurance agent, and they could have switched us to another company that didn't have the 20-year roof clause. However, it would have been more money for less coverage.

To be honest, I never realized how much better the new roofing shingles look over the old ones since we started this process. The front of our house has an A-frame shape, so you see a lot of roof. It should look pretty good once finished. And after all of the possible color choices, we wound up back with what we have. Funny.

I just went out to check and take some pictures, too. They have now been here less than 2 hours. Almost all of the old roof is gone--just the A-frame part needs to be stripped--and they're cutting in the new ridge vents, replacing some rotten decking, adding new crickets, applying the underlay, etc.

They have also cleaned up just about all of the old shingles. I think some of the guys have left, too, as they're doing another job in the area. As the company's owner explained, they'll schedule jobs so they can quickly move men from one house to another to keep everything moving along.

Both dogs are still at my feet. They're helping me edit, I guess.

A good roofing crew is fascinating to watch. The insurance thing is interesting, I haven't heard that before. What's the life expectancy of the new roof? It used to be that 15 or 20 years was the norm, but you can get 30, 40 or even 50 year shingles today. I went with the 40 year version when I had my roof reshingled a few years ago, I figure that by the time it needs to be replaced I'll be in the old folks home and it will be someone else's problem.

Metal is the way to go. You can put a metal roof over a single layer of shingles, so no tear-off, no waste. It lasts 40 to 50 years, you can get whatever color and pattern you like, and there were/ are some tax breaks you can claim for the energy benefits.

We asked about a metal roof, but our roof guy talked us out of it since our tree canopy is so thick. (He's worried that we'd eventually have a dented-up roof.) On the right house, yeah, it does look cool.

Matt B wrote: Thanks for the heads-up on the insurance. We just went under contract to buy a house with a 18yr old roof, so nice to know I'll need to replace it whether or not it's actually necessary. Also, they redid the roof on our current rental house this past summer and I was also impressed with the speed in which it was completed. My dog wasn't happy either.

If the insurance company hasn't come by to look at the house yet, don't be surprised if having the roof re-done is a condition for coverage.

I just had a new roof put on our house earlier this month. It took a little under 2 days total. Amazing how fast they were. A crew of about 15 guys, and our roof is not easy. Some very severe slopes to address.

Anyway, we found the hard way we needed one, it started to leak in the master bedroom. Our roof was almost 20 years old, and it had hail and wind damage. Long story short, the insurance company paid for the roof, but I paid to have all of the decking replaced since it was original 1962 vintage.

Amazing what a difference it makes to the look of your house.

David S. Wallens wrote: ... but our roof guy talked us out of it since our tree canopy is so thick.

Dear Mr. Wallens,

Your Homeowner Incurance Carrier notified us of potential liability in the tree camopy over or near your home and driveway.

While our concern is your safety and well being, we request that you eliminate the offending trees within 60 days or face Automobile Insurance termination.

Sincerely yours, Ben Dover

Where does it stop?

In reply to David S. Wallens:

Roofers know what they are doing. They pulled 2 layers of shingles, replaced almost all the decking, and re-shingled the whole house in 2 days. It was something to see. I just don't have the work ethic. Especially in the middle of a Florida Summer.

Our insurance company (SF) sent us a letter a few years ago that we had to add hand rails to our front steps because it is over three steps.

volvoclearinghouse wrote: Metal is the way to go. You can put a metal roof over a single layer of shingles, so no tear-off, no waste. It lasts 40 to 50 years, you can get whatever color and pattern you like, and there were/ are some tax breaks you can claim for the energy benefits.

There are about 82 thousand different viewpoints on this topic, but, as I recall - most shingles really only last about 25 years, regardless of the "year" rating - the year rating just sets up expectations for the pro-rated warranty coverage based on age.

...if that makes any sense, it did in my head as I typed it o_O

We had our roof replaced 10-12 years ago after a bad hail storm. It took the a--holes three days to finish and they did a crap job. We had another hail storm this past July and numerous houses have gotten new roofs. All but one has taken exactly one day. These guys are good. We will be getting a new roof after it warms up and it won't be by the old guys.

David S. Wallens wrote: A month or so ago I got a letter from our insurance company: Our records show that your roof is 20 years old, so if it's not replaced by such-and-such date, we're going to cancel your coverage.

berkeley that. i would've called the shadiest tree guy in the area and had him drop a tree on my roof just so the insurance company would have to buck up and replace it. berkeleying criminals.

This is really confusing me. I've never heard of an insurance company doing this.

How can they have a 20 year policy, when some shingles have a 30 year warranty, or even 50 years?

Did they ask what kind of shingles?

AngryCorvair wrote:

David S. Wallens wrote: A month or so ago I got a letter from our insurance company: Our records show that your roof is 20 years old, so if it's not replaced by such-and-such date, we're going to cancel your coverage.

berkeley that. i would've called the shadiest tree guy in the area and had him drop a tree on my roof just so the insurance company would have to buck up and replace it. berkeleying criminals.

You know, Pat, I'm just not that kind of scumbag. We had to make legit claims before, and our insurance agent has always had our back.

SVreX wrote: This is really confusing me. I've never heard of an insurance company doing this. How can they have a 20 year policy, when some shingles have a 30 year warranty, or even 50 years? Did they ask what kind of shingles?

They asked for any paperwork regarding the roof. I had none and, to be honest, it was getting threadbare in places--the leading edge was starting to come apart and there had been some repairs done that didn't really match.

We filed a claim for hail damage on our roof. The insurance adjuster came out and said there was no hail damage, but our roof "looked old". Claim denied.

A few weeks later I got a call from the insurance company asking me if we'd replaced the roof yet. !!!

Hence the new metal roof.

We have trees around our house, too. No issues with branches denting the roof. knock on wood

It just got really quiet outside. Either something bad happened, or the inspector is here.

David S. Wallens wrote: It just got really quiet outside. Either something bad happened, or the inspector is here.

Or it is lunch time?

Metal roofs can play havoc with cell phones.

The first question they always ask me when I call in is if I have a metal roof.

mtn wrote:

David S. Wallens wrote: It just got really quiet outside. Either something bad happened, or the inspector is here.

Or it is lunch time?

You know, that makes sense, too.

I guess they use a conveyor to move the shingles from the truck to the roof. Yes, I'll take photos.

In reply to David S. Wallens: RE conveyor: No more humping up packs of shingles up a ladder on one's back. OSHA rules. You need three points of contact to make it safely up a ladder. If you have a pack on your back and you have to hold it with one hand, and you have one hand on the ladder, when you go to pick up a foot to go to the next rung, you lose your third point of contact = not safe.

I took an OSHA class last year...