QA

How To Tear Off A Roof

How long does it take to tear off a roof?

It can take as little as ONE day to tear off and replace an asphalt shingle roof. If it is a clear, hot, summer day, then a roofing crew of 5-6 can tear off and replace a 40 square asphalt shingle roof in a single day (a square is roofing terminology for shingles.

How do you tear off a roof?

To tear off an old roof, a roofing contractor uses a tool called a “tear-off” fork. They use these forks because they easily slide under the shingles and lift them right up. Starting on the end furthest away from the dump trailer, they’ll start using the forks to tear-off your old roof by sections.

How much does it cost to tear off an old roof?

Most homeowners can expect the average cost to tear off and replace a roof to be around $12,000 to $15,000. This price is based on a home with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a walkable roof pitch, a little roof complexity, and architectural asphalt shingles.

What is a complete tear off roof?

A tear-off is when the roofing company completely removes your existing roof and then installs a brand-new roof. This differs from re-roofing, where a new layer of shingles is simply put over the existing one.

Why is roofing so expensive?

Tile and Asphalt are the most used materials for roofing, and they’re manufactured with the usage of concrete, clay or oil. The rise of oil prices can directly impacted asphalt shingles to become more costly. Furthermore, the cost of disposing old and damaged materials has also increased in the recent years.

Should I tear off my old roof?

In most cases, more than two layers of roofing shingles does require a tear-off. Laying new shingles over old shingles is easily prone to leaks and reduces the life of the new shingles. This alone ought to be reason enough to do a tear-off; it’s just a bad value not to.

Is it better to remove old shingles?

While a repair job can often be more convenient and somewhat more cost-efficient, placing new shingles over old ones is never a good idea. Whether repairing one section of roof, or a replacing a whole one, it’s always best to pull up the old shingles before putting down the new ones.

How much is a new roof?

The average cost to replace a roof can vary quite a bit. According to HomeAdvisor, the typical range for roof replacement costs is between $5,100 and $10,000, but roof replacement can be as low as $1,200 or as high as $30,000. Many roofing companies will charge between $3.50 and $5.00 per square foot.

How long is a roof good for?

Your asphalt roof is about 20 years old The life of a roof is how many years you get out of it. For a standard 3-tab asphalt shingle roof, that’s 25-years. As long as your roof has been properly ventilated and installed you should get pretty close to that 25 years of roof life.

How many layers of shingles can you put on a roof?

In most states, you’re only allowed to have 2 layers of shingles on a roof for fire safety reasons. However, you’ll still see roofs that have 3 or 4 layers today. If you already have 2 or more layers, a contractor will recommend a full replacement.

Are two layers of shingles OK?

Two layers of shingles trap more heat, which in turn damages the shingles and shortens the life span of the roof. Adding a second layer could compromise the structure of your roof. Problems fixing leaks: A second layer of shingles only complicates the job when a roofer is trying to fix a leak.

Is it okay to overlay a roof?

A: In general, it is not good practice to overlay a traditional asphalt shingle roof versus a complete tear off and replacement for the very reason you stated: you can’t examine the decking to determine if there is any damage that needs repaired. Flashing around roof penetrations and sidewalls can be compromised.

Can you install metal roof over shingles?

The short answer is yes, you’re able to roof over your old asphalt roof with a new metal roof under the right circumstances. You’ll be able to save up to 25% in labor costs by not tearing off your old asphalt roof, installing new underlayment, or the fees to dump the old roofing materials.

What is the cheapest roof to install?

Topping the cheapest roofing materials is asphalt shingles, costing about $1 to $2 a square foot plus labor. Asphalt roofing shingles are considered the most popular and cost-effective roofing material among homeowners working on a budget.

What time of year is best to replace a roof?

Fall is considered the best season to replace your roof! Changing seasons can largely impact many factors of your roof replacement – rain, snow, heat, humidity. These weather conditions could also affect how quickly your job can be completed.

Are there 40 year shingles?

In the past, dimensional shingles were called 30-year, 40-year, 50-year or lifetime shingles, but in 2011, some of the laws changed, and now most shingles have a lifetime warranty regardless of how long they are rated to last.