Shingles, Nails, and Beyond

When you are looking for a durable, lightweight and environmentally friendly alternative to asphalt shingles, wood shakes are one of the best options. These are wood materials that can easily be installed on your home, but they are going to need different installation work and maintenance after they are installed. The following step-by-step guide will walk you through the process of tearing off asphalt shingles and installing a new wood shake roof:

Assessing the Condition of Your Asphalt Shingles to Determine If They Need to Be Replaced

The first thing that you will want to do when you are considering installing wood shakes is inspecting the shingles that are currently installed on your roof. If they are not too worn, you may want to do minor repairs to save money for the installation of wood shakes. If they are severely worn and damaged, you want to find other sources of financing to have the roof replaced now.

Contacting a Residential Roofing Contractor to Discuss Replacing the Shingles with Wood Shakes

When you know that you are going to need to replace your shingles, you will want to contact a roofing contractor. Talk to your roofer about options for replacing the shingles with shakes and any requirements that may need to be met, such as local regulations that govern the type of shake materials you can install on your home. Work with the roofer to plan the replacement and get an estimate for removing the old shingles and installing the new shakes.

Tearing Off the Old Shingles and Moisture Barrier to Expose Wood Decking and Repair Damaged Areas

Once you know how much the project is going to cost and the type of materials that you are going to use, you will be ready to tear off the shingles. The roofer will tear the shingles and moisture barrier off to expose the wood decking. There may be damaged areas of the roof decking the need to be repaired before the new shake roofing can be installed on your home.

Installing the New Moisture Barrier and Wood Shakes to Complete the Roof Replacement

The last step in the process is to have the new wood shakes installed on your roof. This will start by installing a new moisture barrier which will help prevent water damage due to leaks and condensation. After the moisture barrier has been installed, the wood shakes can be installed on your home. The shakes will need to be cleaned regularly as part of routine maintenance to ensure your new roof lasts.

These are the steps that you will go through to replace asphalt shingles with new durable wood shake roofing. If you are ready to replace your asphalt shingles with wood shakes, contact a residential roofing contractor to start planning your project.