How to Get the Best Roofing Shingle for Your Budget!

How to Get the Best roofing Shingle for Your Budget!

It doesn't matter whether you're in Santa Fe or Long Island; roofing contractors on Long Island have a staggering array of choices when it comes to shingling your home.  The ultimate choice, of course, is up to you, but as experts in their field, your roofing contractor will be able to guide you toward the best solution for your particular needs, part of the country, and climate.

Broadly speaking, there are four basic types of shingling materials.  Asphalt, Slate/Tile, Metal, or Synthetic, and of course, beneath each of these broad categories are dozens (or more!) varieties, makes, and models.

Asphalt shingles are far and away the most commonly seen, and most popular type of shingles, and these come in two basic varieties.  You've got laminated (“Architectural”) and “dimensional.”  Dimensional shingles are interesting because they are layered, and their thickness and depth make them look more like slate or wood shakes. Three-tab asphalt shingles, though similarly priced, are made in a single layer. They're flatter and thinner than laminated shingles.   Unfortunately, they don't seem to hold up as well over the course of time.  Still, asphalt shingles are relatively inexpensive, and can provide an attractive look without breaking the bank, so if money is a factor, this is almost surely the way to go.  The one caveat to that is if you live in an area that is prone to high winds, you may want to rethink this type of shingling solution, as they are very susceptible to the effects of wind.

Slate or Tile Shingles are enormously expensive, but durable in most cases.  These will likely last longer than your house!  The one thing they aren’t vulnerable to, however, are impacts so if you live in an area prone to hail or in a heavily forested area where falling limbs could be an issue, then slate could wind up costing you big sums of money over the course of your ownership of the home (not to mention the fact that when you install a new slate tile to replace a damaged one, it sticks out like a sore thumb because the new tile is not sun-faded and won’t match).  In any case, they’re beautiful and durable.  They are worth considering in many cases.  

In between these two extremes are your metal roofs and synthetic tiles.  Synthetic tiles look a lot like slate, but are only a fraction of the cost.  They have all the same basic advantages and disadvantages.  Metal roofs are interesting because they are extremely good at the deflection of heat.  If you live in a warm, sunny area that sees extremely high temperatures in the summertime, you will want to strongly consider a metal roof even if it’s a bit more than the asphalt shingles.  

Ultimately, the final decision is yours but do talk to your roofing contractor!   Get his expert opinion on the matter.  The guys who install them for a living are usually the best and most knowledgeable people to ask for a recommendation.  A reputable Long Island roofing contractor won’t risk his hard-won reputation by steering you wrong, so you’ll be able to buy with confidence.

Should You Replace Your Old Roof Before Putting A New One Down?

Long Island Roofing

Should You Replace Your Old Roof Before Putting A New One Down?

People everywhere love to look for ways to save money.  That's true from San Francisco to Long Island.  Roofing contractors will, for the most part, do the job how you tell them to.  Honestly though, in most cases, you're setting yourself up for problems down the line if you don't pull the old roof off first.

The big advantage to just putting the new roof down over the top of the existing is, of course cost.  It's faster and cheaper (by a thousand dollars or more) if you don't have to contend with the mess and headache of ripping the old off and hauling it away, but if it shortens the useful life of the new roof you're putting on, then in the long run, you're actually going to wind up being worse off because you tried to take a shortcut.  In general, you're looking at shortening the new roof's lifespan by up to 20% or so if you don't remove the old first.

You can still do it, obviously, and many contractors will do it that way if you insist, but if one or more of the following conditions apply, you'll really only be hurting yourself:

• If you live in an area where ice dams are possible and your roof has no protective membrane to ward off ice and water (This is true of any area where the average temperature in January is below freezing, so this is certainly true in Long Island.  Roofing contractors who insist on pulling your old roof off before replacing in those northern regions will be doing you a big favor in the long run!).
• If your roof already has more than one layer, take it all down!  Layers built on top of layers is only asking for trouble!
• If an inspection reveals that the existing roof is in bad shape with missing, curled, cracked, or otherwise damaged shingles, it should probably come off (and if it's not in that kind of shape, you probably wouldn't be considering replacement!).
• If the decking is rotting or deteriorating, the old needs to come down.  This is because you won't be able to make the necessary repairs otherwise, and it won't do you any good to install a new roof over rotting materials!
• If your new roof is made of a material lighter than the original roof, the old roof needs to come down.  This is to say, if you're installing lightweight shingles over heavy duty ones, then all the bumps and ridges from the old stuff is going to show through.

What it really boils down to is expediency over quality.  If your roof is in dire need of repair and you have no other option but to do it as cheaply as you can get by with, then yes, installing right over the top of the old roof is probably the way to go.  You'll save time.  You'll save money.  

Consider the problems that might surface later!  For instance, let's say, in a couple years, a leak develops.  Do you have any idea how hard it will be to trace the leak to its source through multiple layers of roofing material?  That's going to make finding and actually fixing the problem virtually impossible, and given the shortened useful life of the new roof, unless you sell and move (foisting the problem onto someone else down the road), you'll be faced with higher costs when it comes time to re-replace the roof, because now you've got two layers of material to strip off and dispose of, to say nothing of any repairs the decking might need.