New roof tips?

[kul]

We did ridge vents on my sons roof. He had one of those spinning round vents. It was removed and a sheet of plywood filled the space.

That is interesting. Did they do this on all ridges or do they do it only on the longest ridge? Also, if you get a ridge vent, you don’t need any other type of venting? The silver spinners are then unnecessary?

 

[Newdude]

4 nails per shingle is good most places. 5 gets you hurricane rated.

My guy did the 10 sheet allowance also. It was a way to not have the costs skyrocket when they found a bunch of rot. If they did find it with the allowance, they only had to increase the price for some jobs.

The silver spinners are then unnecessary

Yes.

 

[ajw22]

Did they do this on all ridges or do they do it only on the longest ridge?

The house is a simple one story ranch house with a single peaked roof. Only one ridge.

Also, if you get a ridge vent, you don’t need any other type of venting?

Correct. The ridge vent lets hot air naturally rise out from the attic and pulls colder air in from ventilated soffits on the sides of the roof.

We did a complete reno with new roof, gutters, siding, windows and doors. Ventilated soffits were put in all around the bottom of the roof overhang.

The silver spinners are then unnecessary?

Correct.

 

[phonedave]

Architectural shingles have a higher material cost than three tab (plan shingles) however many times they end up being close to if not the same price installed because they are more forgiving when it comes to labor. If you install three tabs even a little bit off, you will easily notice it from the ground, it looks really bad.

A properly vented attic has not only a place for hot air to get out (the ridge) but also for cooler air to get in - ideally soffit vents. They should both be sized accordingly (cross section of ridge vent should match cross section of soffit vents). Gable vents are a poor replacement for soffit vents.

If you do not have vented soffits, then get your roofer to cut them in when they are doing the roof. The ability to vent air and moisture out of your attic goes a long way to extending the life of your new roof (as well as your energy costs if you happen to have an air handler up there)

 

[kul]

Thank you. I checked and we currently have gable vents.

Is a ridge vent in place of a soffit/gable vent? Or do you need both?

I am not sure ridge vents have taken off over here. At least in my neighborhood, everyone has what I have - even on newer roofs. We’ll see how cost prohibitive a ridge vent might be when we start bids and see how much an adjustment like that would add on to cost. My guess is cheaper to keep existing venting situation, but I’m all ears.

 

[phonedave]

Thank you. I checked and we currently have gable vents.

Is a ridge vent in place of a soffit/gable vent? Or do you need both?

I am not sure ridge vents have taken off over here. At least in my neighborhood, everyone has what I have - even on newer roofs. We’ll see how cost prohibitive a ridge vent might be when we start bids and see how much an adjustment like that would add on to cost. My guess is cheaper to keep existing venting situation, but I’m all ears.

Gable vents are really a thing of the past, but they can substitute for a soffit vent. Either way, you should have a ridge vent. In an ideal set up, cooler air moves into the attic through the soffit vents, while hot air exhausts out of the ridge vent. There is no need for power fans, or wind turbines, or other such things.

Adding a ridge vent is quite inexpensive. They take a circular saw set to the depth of the plywood roof sheathing, and cut off the top 1" or so of the sheathing on both side of the ridge. This leaves a gap for air to exit. They then place a ridge vent over that - it is mesh type roll that lets air flow, but keeps out bugs and debris. It costs $3 - $5 a foot. Then normal ridge cap shingles go over that.

So if your ridge is 40 long, I would say an extra $300 to add a ridge vent is a high side estimate

 

[proavia]

Here in Arizona, most homes built in the last 25+ years have ventilated soffits (actually grills and vents right above the stucco walls in the roof overhang /eve area - and gable vents. The gable vents are up high (top within 1 foot or so of the peak. Also, mostly concrete tiles roofs on new construction houses for 25+ years.

Hot air exits thru the gable vents. Cooler air is drawn in thru the eve vents.
Some homeowners have installed thermostatically controlled gable vents to help exhaust hot air in our HOT summers.

Don't see many of the whirlybird type vents here that the OP has. And not many with obvious ridge vents.

Architectural type asphalt singles tend to hold up better than the standard 3 tabs type shingles. And (IMHO) look better too.

 

[phonedave]

Here in Arizona, most homes built in the last 25+ years have ventilated soffits (actually grills and vents right above the stucco walls in the roof overhang /eve area - and gable vents. The gable vents are up high (top within 1 foot or so of the peak. Also, mostly concrete tiles roofs on new construction houses for 25+ years.

Hot air exits thru the gable vents. Cooler air is drawn in thru the eve vents.
Some homeowners have installed thermostatically controlled gable vents to help exhaust hot air in our HOT summers.

Don't see many of the whirlybird type vents here that the OP has. And not many with obvious ridge vents.

Architectural type asphalt singles tend to hold up better than the standard 3 tabs type shingles. And (IMHO) look better too.

Retrofitting an older soffit to have vents is pretty easy (maybe). They make 2" circular vents. it is a combo collar, screen and trim. You take a 2" hole saw, cut the hole, pop in the vent - presto
The tricky part MAY come if you have attic insulation. For the vents to work, the air has to flow up, so if you have insulation jammed right up to the edge of the soffit, it will block the vent. They make handy molded Styrofoam baffles that just slip in to hold the insulation back. Easy, unless you have an attic like mine, where the main trunk for my air conditioning is up against the soffit on one side of the attic. Almost impossible to get behind it.

Ridge vents are not that obvious. This is an installed one.

 

[Toxophilite]

Thank you. I checked and we currently have gable vents.

Is a ridge vent in place of a soffit/gable vent? Or do you need both?

I am not sure ridge vents have taken off over here. At least in my neighborhood, everyone has what I have - even on newer roofs. We’ll see how cost prohibitive a ridge vent might be when we start bids and see how much an adjustment like that would add on to cost. My guess is cheaper to keep existing venting situation, but I’m all ears.

Roofers here don't even consult. They just put ridge vents irrespective, and just a given they're on the truck.

 

[Toxophilite]

I guess the shame in all this is here I sit this time of year with a warm attic and a cold pool and no way to share the issue.

 

[phonedave]

I guess the shame in all this is here I sit this time of year with a warm attic and a cold pool and no way to share the issue.

There are heat pump systems to cool your house while heating your pool. Basically they attach to an existing central air system. I looked into them: Expensive, voids just about every warranty out there, and you need to find somebody who will install the thing. Also, for my yard, there is 50 feet of grass, 20 feet of concrete patio, and a fence between my pool and my AC.

 

[kul]

Does anyone have a tip or a link for how I might check out a business license and any complaints about companies? I think a while back @JamesW had posted a link to a resource in discussion about something else, but I can’t locate it.
In my search for a roofing company, I’d like to go off something more than Yelp

 

[ajw22]

Does anyone have a tip or a link for how I might check out a business license and any complaints about companies? I think a while back @JamesW had posted a link to a resource in discussion about something else, but I can’t locate it.
In my search for a roofing company, I’d like to go off something more than Yelp

@Dirk knows how to navigate California contractor licensing.

 

[Dirk]

@Dirk knows how to navigate California contractor licensing.

You can go here and check on the status of the license of a CA contractor. Unfortunately, he can have several negative incidents racked up but the Board won't disclose them. BBB is not really a good resource either, because they are fee-based and "rate" the very companies that pay the fee, so they are completely compromised. Best bet is to gather references from the contractor and check them out as best you can. Or get a reference from a friend or family member that has had direct experience with the contractor.

Sorry, not much help, but there is no great solution to the problem of finding a contractor on your own.

Be sure the contractor is licensed, bonded and insured (not just bonded). Don't do business with a contractor that doesn't provide a written contract. Post the contract here and we'll go to town on it. TFP isn't a resource for such legal advice, but we'll share what we know. Or have the contract looked over by a construction lawyer.

 

[kul]

Appreciate the tips @Dirk it’s an expensive undertaking so it’s nice to have as much information as possible. Thanks for link!

 

[Katodude]

Install tiles back using existing tiles or new ones

I always wondered why in Florida they never re use the old tiles. Every roof job I have seen they throw the old tiles away and install new ones. Big expense to cart the old ones away and purchase new ones.

 

[ajw22]

I always wondered why in Florida they never re use the old tiles. Every roof job I have seen they throw the old tiles away and install new ones. Big expense to cart the old ones away and purchase new ones.

There are roof tiles and then there are roof tiles. Many different materials are called roof tiles.

My tiles cost $30 each and the roofer had me get 300 extra tiles. It was a 3 month lead time to get it so he did not want to begin the job and find he needed more tiles. He ended up using about 200 tiles so I have a stack of around 100 tiles in my yard that should be enough for may more years of roof repairs.

Each tile was anchored by two nails. They lifted the tiles and stacked them for reuse as long as the tile did not break on removal.

I am told the roof tiles I have can last for 50 or more years. What wears out is the underlayment that provides the waterproofing. In 1996 when my house was built roofing felt was used as the underlayment and that rottehr out after 25 years. They put down rubber ice shield on the entire roof which should last longer.

 

[Methuselah]

BBB is not really a good resource either, because they are fee-based and "rate" the very companies that pay the fee, so they are completely compromised.

They've increased the number of categories that companies get rated in, so they can have thousands of complaints about integrity or failure to provide services and still be A+ for being licensed, having a phone, paying their subcontractors, name it ... dozens of excuses NOT to rate a disreputable business below an A.

The only exception are business that won't pay them to be a member, they sometimes show up as B rated.

I've had them remove my complaints within a year even though their charter states it stays on the site for three.

 

[Dirk]

They've increased the number of categories that companies get rated in, so they can have thousands of complaints about integrity or failure to provide services and still be A+ for being licensed, having a phone, paying their subcontractors, name it ... dozens of excuses NOT to rate a disreputable business below an A.

The only exception are business that won't pay them to be a member, they sometimes show up as B rated.

I've had them remove my complaints within a year even though their charter states it stays on the site for three.

BBB has been around forever, and as a kid/young adult I had always assumed they were some sort of government agency, righting wrongs and sticking up for the consumer, etc. I wonder how many others thought that, or still do. I didn't learn the truth until I tried to get a rating for my own company, thinking that would be good marketing. Once I read through the process of "accreditation," I figured it out.

 

[kul]

I had always assumed they were some sort of government agency, righting wrongs and sticking up for the consumer, etc. I wonder how many others thought that, or still do.

Yup, I totally thought BBB was legit! Geez Louise. Happy to have the scoop.