Lost in the Dark No More - Page 4

ROOF TEAR-OFFS

Will a roof tear-off come into play when your next system is installed? California law says, "Yes, you must," if you presently have two roof overlays in place.

If it looks like you're facing a complete tear-off, you may want to consider it a window of opportunity to explore other upgrades that require deeper roof access: adding rigid insulation, altering drainage, upgrading electrical, installing solar and HVAC, and replacing/adding skylights, etc.

Some roofers prefer to tear off the old roof with each new installation.

"You're allowed [by regulation] up to three roofs, but I won't do it," says Done-Rite's Fred Drees. "You don't want mold getting up there. I remove the old roof [each time] and check for dry rot."

Shelton's Paul Lawson chimes in. "We tear off each time, we don't recommend putting one roof over another. If there's a leak [following no tear-off], it's really hard to track it down, or inspect it for dry rot.

"Almost 100 percent of the time we tear off, and most cities mandate it. Foam roofs go over the old roofs quite regularly. I don't know what kinds of problems that presents for them."

Foam roofer Rick Abril takes a different stance. "No, the thought of possibly foaming over [undetected] dry rot is never a concern," he says. "Eichlers, in particular, have a tongue-and-groove decking, and when you look up at your ceiling [from the inside], you know if you have a rotted board. If it becomes soft to the touch, peels, or doesn't look right, you can see that from the inside…

"When you're on the roof tearing off a roof, exposing the top of the board isn't going to reveal anything that looking at the board from the inside wouldn't."

And what about Streng roof dry rot inspection? "With Strengs, they're a little different. You can tell by walking on the roof. [If there's damage], it gets real flimsy," says Abril.

"All critical parts—the perimeter metal edge flashing, all areas, 90 percent of the areas where you would get rot—all get inspected [in our reroofing preparation process], and all critical flashing areas are replaced. But you would never tear off [the roof just] to look for dry rot."

Average price quotes we received for roof tear-offs from our three installers ranged from a low of $2,100 (for a single layer) up to $5,000 (for more involved removals).

While large-scale home-improvement projects for Eichler and Streng homes can be perplexing and stressful, the Eichler Network's Marty Arbunich points out that any time you can make your reroofing project "less like herding cats," it will be a lot easier on everyone involved. "I hope these simple Q&A steps to your next reroofing will help to do just that."

• For more on flat-roof reroofing, and for a deeper dive into each of the related systems, visit the 'Roofing Survival Guide' on the Eichler Network website

Photography: David Toerge, Mike Gordon, Heather David, Victor Loh, Dmitriy Kruglyak; and courtesy Shelton Roofing, Wedge Roofing, Done-Rite Roofing, Abril Roofing, Dura-Foam Roofing & Solar Center

When it's time for your next reroofing project, consider the Eichler Network's roofing team of 'Preferred Service Companies':

Dura-Foam Roofing & Solar Center
Foam: Peninsula, South Bay
dura-foam.com

Abril Roofing, Inc.
Foam: Marin, Peninsula, East Bay, Sacramento
abrilroofing.com

Cal-Pac Roofing
Single-ply: Peninsula
cal-pacroofing.com

Wedge Roofing
Single-ply: Marin, San Francisco
wedgeroofing.com

Done-Rite Roofing
Single-ply: Sacramento area
916-801-6550

Shelton Roofing Co., Inc.
Built-up: Peninsula, South Bay
sheltonroof.com