Continuing our video series on the Prairie Village Home that we rebuilt from top to bottom in 2010.
This video takes a look at the roof replacement needed on the home. With the lighting in the video, the roof is a bit tough to see, but Don’s descriptions will tell you what you need to know.
First he started assessing the need for a roof replacement, not with actual leaks we could see from the inside, but from his inspection of the edges of the roof where with the naked eye he could see 2 visible layers. When we see 2 layers, it means there was a worn-out roof and instead of tearing it off, repairing the wood underneath as needed, and putting on a new roof, the previous rehabber just put a layer of new shingles over the old ones.
While you can put a new layer over old one, it is not something we condone. Yes, it is easier and cheaper, but you can end up with all kinds of new issues:
- The biggest issue in our book is the fact that most insurance companies that actually inspect a property will not insure it if there are two or more layers.
- Next is the fact that when you don’t tear off the old, you don’t inspect the wood underneath. And in almost all roof replacement, some of that wood is damaged and needs to be replaced, so as it rots away, the roof might start leaking anyway.
- Last is the fact that shingles are HEAVY, and all that added weight can and often does break a few of the supports holding up the roof and then you end up with a saggy, leaky roof and the cost to repair is even more than if you had replaced it correctly the first time.
There are a lot more issues to adding a layer of shingles over an old one. We found a really great article from Networx.com about Roof Replacement: “Can You Lay New Roof Shingles Over Old?”
Don goes on to explain about the flat roof dormer. It has also deteriorated and with a flat roof, other roofing options are required as you can’t put shingles on a flat roof with no pitch. We don’t do a lot of flat roofs, but we did find a great article from RestorBuilders.com on Flat Roof Repairs if you have a flat roof that needs some help.
Checkback next week for the next installment on this Prairie Village home where we replaced the full roof and gutters, plus all the windows, the doors and the siding. If you have a home that needs this much work, and you just don’t want to spend the time or the money, another option is to sell the home.
Do you have a house that has several layers or is leaking and you need to get it replaced? If you just don’t want to deal with it, or maybe you have ignored the problem for a while and you have a lot more inside repairs that need to be made, one option is to hire a contractor and get it fixed. According to HomeAdvisor between $5,000 and $11,000. We have been paying around $8,000 for a 2000 square foot ranch home. However the costs of of materials have surged significantly in the past 6 months, so the cost could be much higher.
If you would rather skip the replacement, you could sell the house. We are currently looking for our next project, so if you are thinking about selling, take a minute to tell us about your house.