Roofing replacement is arguably the most significant major home repair you can do. It’s not as glamorous as redoing your bedroom or redesigning your kitchen, but nothing else will hold with a leaky roof.
An old roof can destroy any other repair, replacement, or redesign you do in your home. We can’t really think of a home issue that can bring more trouble than a failed roof. To install a new roof in Tampa it’s essential to know some roof replacement basics we’ll tell you in this article.
Thus, you cannot take your roof replacement lightly nor delay it nor settle for the cheapest option. You must take it seriously. Let’s talk about some roof replacement basics.
Your roofing material
As one of the top roofing supply companies in Tampa, KRS offers all major roofing materials available. The most common choices are:
- Asphalt shingles, which are a cheap roofing replacement, and generally durable.
- Wood shakes, which are quite pricey but offer the best look.
- Composite/synthetic shingles, which look exactly like cedar or slate shingles, are more affordable and almost as durable. Plus, they are made from recycled materials.
- Metal roofs, which are even pricier than wood shakes and require special contractors but will last almost your entire life.
- Ceramic tile, which is quite common in Florida, but is less durable than the rest.
Will you tear off your roof or add a second layer?
Until not so long ago, it was relatively common to just add a second shingle roof over the other before tearing it down to keep the costs low. However, this isn’t even legal in some states nor it is generally recommended. Still, if you’re on a budget, you might want to consider some pros and cons:
- Weight: Adding additional layers of asphalt shingles might be too much for your underlayment and cause structural problems and eventually lead your roof to collapse.
- Telegraphing: If your old roof has bubbles, missing layers, bumps, among other issues, a new shingle will not solve that issue, but repeat the same pattern of irregularities. Thus, your roof won’t look that good. However, this is not a complicated thing to correct as you can correct these issues before re-roofing.
- Reducing work: Layering reduces work because you don’t have to take down the existing layer of shingles. This isn’t much of a problem for a contractor, as they can take a roof down in a day or two, but if you’re doing it yourself, it might be a heavy argument in favor of layering.
What about costs?
As we’ve explained before, the costs of installing a new roof in Tampa vary wildly. Many factors come into play when calculating how much it will cost, starting with the roofing materials you choose, your contractor, the square footage of your roof, how steep your roof is, and even the season. A simple, three-tab shingle re-roofing for a small home can cost $7,000, but that’s pretty much the cheapest it will cost if you’re not doing it yourself.
However, an off-season roof installation might help you decrease prices. As most people in Tampa do roofing installations and repairs before and after the hurricane season, doing it off-season might help you find better prices because the demand is relatively low.
The process
A roofing job with a medium contractor can take about 3-4 days:
- The crew removes the old shingles and damaged flashing.
- Make repairs and replace bad woods or sheathing boards.
- Lay asphalt roofing paper over the sheathing, which created a barrier against water.
- Apply metal drip on the edge of the roof.
- Apply a new valley flashing if needed wherever two planes of your roof meet.
- Apply the tab shingles and flashing around everywhere where leaks might come into the house.
- Installing the ridge vent
If you’re one of those who google “Roofing material suppliers near me,” look no further. At KRS Roofing Supply we have the best Roofing accessories in Tampa, FL when you need a new roof for your home. Just give us a call at 786-498-1682/407-535-0970 or stop by 6409 N 50th St. Hablamos español!
