New York Renovator

High oil prices are affecting roofing materials. Unfortunately, when a house needs a roof, a house needs a roof. Be prepared to pay through the nose. A news story from Syracuse quoted a roofing contractor as saying that roof prices have gone up fifteen times in the past two years. What was once an expensive $43 a square foot for basic asphalt shingles is now about $60! Ouch! I’m glad we got our new roof installed when we moved here, but that was eleven years ago. Depending on the environment (heat, ice, the absence or presence of trees), the average lifespan of a new asphalt roof is 20 years.

By the way, you should never install two roofs– you know, a new roof on top of an old one. When we moved here, one roofing contractor said we could do that to save money; he said there was only one roof layer on and adding another on top might be a good idea. It would also be cheaper, because there is nothing to tear off and dispose of (which is very expensive to do). But we decided to swallow the price of a more expensive tear-off.(And we hired a different roofer who wouldn’t try to sell us something we didn’t want to do). BOY was THAT a great decision! Because there was not one, not two, but already THREE layers of roofing on the roof of the house. And the wood beneath it was moldy and cracked. We have to pay extra to replace the bad boards. But I don’t care. If we had just slapped on another layer, I doubt the rafters would have held the weight. And the old roofing was leaky and rotted. I shake my head at the folks who owned the house before us, because they were the Methodist Church, and this house was their parsonage. They took such crappy care of this place that I am amazed they’d even lift their heads to greet their pastor. How can anyone let a young family live in such deplorable conditions? This house was a disaster!

Well, anyway… slapping a new roof on top of an old one is inadvisable and you’re asking for trouble. If you are nubile enough, you can always strap on some cabling and rip the old stuff off yourself, saving money. Gee, the old days of musing over expensive frivolities like espresso machines is over, I think. We’re being squeezed over the basic necessities, now!

I was flipping through my latest edition of Family Handyman magazine, and found a very interesting article about metal roofing. It’s come a long way!

Before we bought our house, we lived in an apartment that had only asphalt shingles, until the landlord redid the roof. (This is the apartment that had all that ice dam damage I’ve talked about). He thought that having a metal roof would eliminate the ice dam problems, because the snow and ice would slide right off and not create the dams. He was right– the snow and built-up ice did slide off. The entire apartment would shake and the next thing we heard was a terribly loud crashing roar as the snow and ice slid down the roof and collapsed to the ground below. It was like experiencing an avalanche. Actually, it was an avalanche, and woe to the mailman should he be below the eaves at the wrong time!

So I can’t say I’ve been too fond of metal roofing. It’s not all that attractive, either.

When we moved to our new house, we had to have the roof replaced. Some roofing schiesters tried to convince us to add a new layer of asphalt on top of the three layers already there. I shudder to think of what might have happened the winter we got three feet of snow in one day. I’m glad we had all the old stuff removed and installed a new layer. But the asphalt is hot, and it sheds granules of stuff all year long. I think in about 5-7 years we may need another roof. I’ve been keen on surveying my options.

Well, getting back (finally) to the Family Handyman, I saw a new kind of metal roofing– metal roofing shingles! The idea appealed to me. This is a do-it-yourself kind of metal roofing. And it interlocks, making for a tight seal. The shingles have slight grooves (reminding me of vinyl siding grooves) that might alleviate the noisy avalanches so common to the slick sheets of metal roofing.

Anyway, it’s something I’m going to look into. Now is the perfect time to consider it, because in 5-7 years, the price will be down and I’ll be able to afford it! It looks like another great option for homeowners. And from what I’ve seen so far, it’s got a 50-year warranty.