[Tom]

Anyone have recommendations for a roofing company? Roof is leaking. Sounds like I will need to replace asap. So many places to choose from.

[yukon222]

I've been happy with the work Alpine Roof has done for me. A new roof years ago and then a couple of minor roof repairs from storm damage (tree branches breaking off in high winds and piercing thru the shingles). http://www.alpineroofcare.com

[Randito]

Get three bids. I've re-roofed three different houses -- each time replacing cedar shakes with "composition" It is amazing the spread between the low and high bidders. One firm to avoid "State Roofing" their bid was $55,000 -- the smaller firm whose bid I accepted with was for $22,000 and they did a fine job. That house had a roughly 2500 square foot roof -- and was done in 2007.

[Randito]

[iron]

shoot r3h an email. he's a roofer. probably would come over this weekend for the right amount of $ + IPA. or, a few rogue GCs...

[Tom]

Thanks iron. The roof cleaning service I use did come out today to diagnose. The leak is near a skylight. I suspected the seal was going bad. They caulked it but said it wouldn't last long. They indicated there were other leaks and gaps in the roof and best to replace asap. Roof is 31 years and everyone in the neighborhood else has replaced in the last 5 years, so I have no reason to doubt the recommendation.

[tmatlack]

Sno County? We used Morris Roofing out of Monroe. No staple guns; hand nailed. I do not think price should be 1st factor in new roof...be thinkin' quality and value and integrity 1st. Tom

[Randito]

[ale_capone]

Im liking these Morris guys more and more. "For the men who like to do things the hard way" maybe they hammer for nostalgia. I haven't done it in a while.. but hammer down was better for slate, clay, concrete roof tiles. The nails don't get sunk completely. Nail gun might cause cracks anyways? Niche trade. But then, I've only done repairs on the above. I only know who Morris roofing is because they have a sweet old Dodge ram 4x4 van. And I drive by the owners house all the time on Ben Howard road. His yard, house, and fleet are all very well kept. A good indicator. "They caulked it, but said it wouldn't last long" Talk about confidence in your work. . I kid. I caulk for a living though. Our roof is about up too. Considering installing the new metal roofing that looks like cedar shake. Pine needles and moss wrecked our asphalt shingles in 15 years.

[Randito]

[ale_capone]

Heh. I looked up the cost of a slate roof once, and that's exactly what it said. I've only replaced individual slates on schools, churches, etc... You could reroof a house for the same as replacing a dozen slates. I do have a starter kit. One broken piece I found on the beach in Scotland. Roof from a sacked castle no doubt. The house across the street from me just got a cement composite tile roof. Looks like cedar, last like stone. Waiting to see how it looks after a year of pine. Seems like if you where keeping your house more then 20, this would be the way to go. Materials cost more, but you only have to do it once. Took a crew one day to tear off, then one guy hammered on it for a week. I don't recall if he used pneumatic or not. I'll probably do mine the same way this summer. Hire a crew for demo, have the materials dropped on the roof, then go at it.

[Tom]

Good news is it sounds like I have time. Was told not to let it go past summer. Sounds like that's really the only time it's feasible to put on a new roof. HOA requires shake or the highest grade asphalt. Current roof is shake but sounds like they don't really last as long as they used to (lack of old growth) to justify the cost. I was reading up on asphalt and it seems there are varying opinions as to what's best. Proper installation including venting is very important. Apparently you can't really trust the warranties - the manufacturer will often claim improper installation. You may think you're picking a roofer that does it right, but there's no guarantee they aren't just going to contract it out. I found this article quite interesting. http://answers.angieslist.com/I-put-roof-Which-shingle-Owen-corning-Duration-Certainteed-Landmark-Atlas-Pinnacle-Tamko-Heritage-why-q36155.aspx r3h gave me some good tips via PM in terms of what to look for / ask when getting quotes. Sadly his employer doesn't service my area.

[MtnGoat]

from morris, why hand nailed..

[Randito]

[contour5]

Sort of a strange explanation of why they hand nail. My Hitachi coil roofing nailer rarely if ever overdrives a nail. It does tend to underdrive about one in ten, but this merely necessitates going back over each row with a hammer. I've seen pro roofers who can hand nail at something approaching gun speed, but I would likely mash my hands up pretty quickly if I tried to sustain a similar speed hand nailing. I do mostly finish and cabinet work and I rarely hand drive nails these days. Pneumatic nailers really are a massive improvement over bashing the nails in with a hammer. After recently completing my first 3-tab comp shingle roof, I can offer a couple pointers. Cheap shingles suck. My roomie/landlord/friend chose the cheapest Owens Corning product, and you can already see wear patterns extending from the ladder positions. Just a little foot traffic is all it takes to start ripping the surface grit off the shingles and exposing the darker substrate. Grace Watershield is a great product. It's a peel and stick waterproof membrane that you apply directly to the plywood deck before the tar paper and shingles go on. It basically creates a seal around each nail as the nails are driven in. Especially useful in problem areas like valleys, slope transitions, around chimneys and pipes and along the edges of the roof. High end jobs often cover the whole roof with this type of material..