Mistakes To Avoid When Installing A New Roof
Everyone is always excited to install a new roof over their house. A new roof gives your home a new look. However, you must ensure the new roof installation goes well, especially if you plan to take the DIY route. Sometimes, DIY roof installation doesn't always go to plan. You can make some costly mistakes that might contribute to early roof failure. If you take the DIY route, watch out for these mistakes.
Covering Over Old Materials
Some people will try to install their new roof over the old one to save time and money. Well, you may save time but not money. Installing a new roof over old materials will always cause early roof failure. You must remove the old roof materials if they are in bad condition. Remember that the old materials will continue to rot and disintegrate, leaving the new roof vulnerable. That's why your new roof will start sagging after some time.
Using Few Nails
DIYers will often use a few nails to secure their new roof. They'll come to realize their mistake when shingles start to come loose. Besides, strong winds can rip out your roof if you fail to secure it properly. As such, you must not skimp on your nail budget. Experts recommend using not less than four nails per shingle. While at it, ensure that you nail down shingles correctly. The nails shouldn't sit too deep or too shallow.
Using the Wrong Coating
Some folks will do a fantastic roof installation job but ruin everything by using the wrong coating. Remember that the coating should prolong your roof's lifespan. But, coating products vary a lot. As such, you must consider your location before buying the roof coating. Roofing experts can help you choose a good coating for your roof. Alternatively, you can do thorough research before purchasing any product.
Inadequate Roof Ventilation
Most DIYers lack roofing knowledge. They rely on tutorials and videos to install their roofs. Therefore, it wouldn't be surprising if they got the roof ventilation part wrong. The roof may look good and strong, but all that is useless if there is no ventilation. Remember that ventilation allows moisture and heat to escape.
So, inadequate ventilation means the moisture and heat will get trapped under the roof and cause rotting. Besides, if the heat has nowhere to escape, you'll have to run your AC unit throughout the day. As such, your energy bills will keep rising during summer.
Other mistakes are:
- Failing to get a permit
- Failing to install the roof flashing correctly
- Ignoring safety
- Installing mismatched shingles