Roof Repair Cost

Roof Shingles - Oct 27,2012 - No Comment

How much it will cost you to repair your roof depends upon many different variables. You cannot make a guesstimate without first putting in some effort and time to address these various factors. Size of your roof is obviously the most important because a greater area that needs roofing will cost more than a smaller one.

How difficult a contractor will find it to repair your roof will determine the price he or she charges. A very steep roof with a higher pitch can make it harder to repair, and require specific safety precautions to be taken. A flat roof, on the other hand, is the easiest to fix and therefore the cheapest.

If your roof has many projections like dormers and chimneys or irregularities such as skylights or solar panels, then repairing or replacing the roof will require more labor and time. This will make your roof repair cost higher. And there are many more factors that come into play.

Roof Repair Cost – Cost Of Repairing, Renovating Or Replacing Roofs

Roof Shingles - Jul 27,2012 - No Comment

Roof repair cost depends on several factors and can’t be estimated without due diligence. Many of these issues can increase your repair costs several fold. So, let’s check them out in detail to know what influences roofing costs.

Size

The first factor that makes a major impact on roof repair cost is the size of the roof and the area of roof that needs to be repaired. If the whole roof needs to work done on it the roof repair cost will be proportionately higher. A huge home with large roof area will cost a lot more than a small 2 bed room home.

Difficulty Of Roof

A roof that is very steep can make it tougher for the roofer. So, the more difficult your roof is to work on, the higher will be the cost of roof repair. A flat roof on the other hand will have the lowest roof repair cost which is understandable. The time taken to fix the roof also will be more for the more difficult roofs.

Difficulty Of Task

A simple roof repair job needing a few shingles to be nailed or old worn out shingles replaced will cost much lesser than replacement of whole sections of roof. Over time some shingles curl, warp or break. These need to be replaced to prevent major leak and water damage later on. But, these are as important to repair as when a typhoon blows away a part of the roof. The roof repair cost for each job will be different but they are equally important.

Materials

Bigger roofs naturally need more materials for roof replacement. So, larger roofs will cost more to fix than smaller roofs. To estimate your roof repair cost remember that roof area is about one and half times the floor area of your home approximately. So, you can make a rough estimate on the cost of materials to order.

Pitch

A steep roof will cost more to repair, as specialists and specialized safety equipment will be needed for working on difficult slopes. A roofer will charge extra to work on dangerous slopes as he needs to work slowly and with safety harness.

Openings, Vents And Conversions

If your roof has lot of vents, chimneys, skylight windows, converted loft windows, dormer windows, solar panels, turbines and other stuff your roof repair cost will go up as the roofer needs to work around these obstacles and has to seal them off properly to prevent leaks and water seepage around their edges. The time needed to work on the roof also goes up so, the roofer needs to be compensated for the extra time he puts in apart from the extra effort.

Whole or Part Replacement

Sometimes due to hail or a storm only parts of the roof are damaged. The roof repair cost for partly damaged roofs is much lesser than for a whole replacement.

Type Of Roofing Materials

If you are using roofing materials like slate, tile or metal the costs of roof replacement are higher. These materials need specialist knowledge unlike asphalt shingles which are pretty straight forward. Different manufacturers have their own roofing systems for which they train roofers. This specific methods give best results for particular roofing systems. So, if you are hiring trained roofers you will be paying more in roof repair cost. If you have limited resources to spare for your roof replacement then stick to asphalt shingles or whatever that is best suited for your local weather conditions.

Get A Quote

Whether it whole roof replacement or small roof repair job. Get a quote. For the bigger job get at least 3 quotes. For smaller jobs that would be overkill. So, go with whatever seems reasonable. You can get quotes online using the knowledge from above. They are pretty accurate and match quotes from real contractors. Your roof repair cost quote should give you the idea about your costs involved.

Location

It may seem strange but even where you live can have bearing on the cost of roof repair. As local building codes vary, there are different requirements as far as roof repair cost goes. So, you pay more or less according to the local needs. Some areas need hurricane proofing, other areas need to use specific types of roofs, there are codes for impact resistance, fire resistance and wind resistance. Some areas need homeowners to provide for ice and water shield to prevent ice dams and so on.

Roof Repair Costs – How high do they typically run?

Roof Repair - Jul 24,2012 - No Comment

Roof repair cost can run very high at times. Leaving aside total roof replacement, the typical roof repairs tend to be, new shingles over existing installations (there are regulations in some places on the amount of times this is permissible), replacing plywood and shingles in a small roof area and using cement to re-seal seams (‘patch’ work).

Also, replacing metal ‘flashing’ seals around skylights and chimneys, and also guttering work. The most common roof repairs include replacing plywood, shingles and flashing on development of a leak. The average roof area requiring work tends to be 10′ x 10′. With regard to roof repair costs, some homeowners try to patch the leak in the roof using cement. This is really not a cost effective approach.

Roof repair costs – Cost breakdown

The shopping list and prices for this project are:

Sheets of roofing-quality plywood measuring 5/8″ thickness – approximately $20 a sheet
4 sheets required = $80
A standard square of shingles measuring 100 square feet – $100
1 square required = $100
A standard roll of roofing nails for an air-powered gun
1 roll of 1 1/4″ galvanized nails = $65
Roofing cement – $22 per gallon

Roof repair costs: Labor

A roof repair project, although only requiring basic tools, can involve more than just basic labor skills. For example a structural issue causing a roof leak may only be detected as an underlying problem by a skilled professional. Also, more complex work involves chimneys, skylights, flashing or valleys. For these reasons homeowners consult professionals to get the job done. Depending on location and type of job, charges tend to be around $45-$75 per hour, and can take two full business days to finish.

Roof repair costs: Enhancement and improvement costs

Running all new shingles – a second and sometimes third course of shingles is requested by some homeowners to address the leak problem. The cost to install standard asphalt shingles over existing shingles or shakes, according to HomeInspectorLocator.com, will be around $1.25 to $2.00 per square foot.

Roof repair costs: Skylights

It is more expensive sorting out leaks developed in skylights. The bigger cost is a result of having to clear the entire surface around the skylight of shingles, and new flashing surrounding the fixture has to be installed before the new shingles are laid.

On average, roofing experts put the cost as $450 for materials and labor on this type of relatively small project.

Roof Leak Repair – How To Repair a Leaky Roof

Roof Repair - Feb 24,2012 - No Comment

Roof leak repair is usually urgent, even an emergency. Localized roof damage like cracked or missing shingles or shakes, or a blistered or cracked area on a flat roof can cause leaks, but sometimes it can be years before the entire roof needs replacing. The hardest part of repairing damage caused by leaks is locating the leak.

Roof leak repair – Repairing shingle roofs:
They are usually easy to repair. At the leak stain mark, inspect for damaged, curled or missing shingles. Inspect every place where surfaces meet, around chimneys and vents – look for breaks in the flashing or caulking and gaps in the lines of roof cement. If the shingles or flashing in the leak area don’t shown any sign of damage, you may have to contact a roofing professional. Deterioration of the shingles or inadequate flashing may be the cause.

Repairs are fairly simple if evidence is found of shingle damage. Compound for caulking guns or asphalt roof cement can be used to reattach curled back shingles, which can be easily straightened out in warm weather. They need to be softened before they can be flattened out in cold weather, which makes them brittle. This can be done by the careful use of a propane torch with a flame-spreader nozzle applied gently to the curled edges just warm enough to soften, but not to catch fire, then flatten them. Apply roof cement to the bottom of the shingle at each corner to reattach, and press firmly into place. Shingles that can be raised up off the roof with no effort are rotten and need replacing. Torn and missing ones should also be replaced – they (and rotten ones) should be replaced with new ones.

A whole new roof may be required if a large area of rotten shingles is found – this is the stage when a roofing professional should be consulted. If not, the shingles left over from the previous roof installation can be used for replacement.

Roof leak repair – Replacing damaged shingles:

Step 1: Damaged shingle needs to be removed by raising edges of neighboring shingles and using pry bar to carefully remove nails. Slide out old shingle, and if there’s any brittle or loose cement left behind, scrape clean. When shingles are blown off by adverse weather conditions, removal of any protruding nails in the roof is necessary.

Step 2: Slightly curving the back corners with a sharp utility knife will make it easier to slide the new shingle into place.

Step 3: With the front edge aligned with shingles on each side, and back edge under shingles in the row above, slide the new shingle into the space provided.

Step 4: Raise the corners of the overlapping shingles. Use 6d galvanized roofing nails, hammered through each corner to fasten the new shingle in place. Nail heads should be covered with roof cement, then the overlapping shingle edges smoothed down.

If the shingles are not damaged, or after replacing damaged shingles, the chimney, vents or vent pipe flashing should be inspected, as well as any line of roof cement where two surfaces meet.

Roof Repairs for Leaky Flat and Low-Sloping Roofs

Roof Repair - Jan 24,2012 - No Comment

Roof repairs can be a home owners nightmare! The biggest cause of early-onset roofing problems is failure in the early stages to find and resolve any minor faults or deterioration. On relatively low-sloped roofs this holds particularly true of roofing materials.

Adverse weather conditions require inspection of roofs, and emergency repairs may need to administered, because water leakage into a building can happen at any time (nights, weekends, holidays and so on). Be aware that it is not advisable to attempt repairs on roofs during storms because of the danger of lightning striking, and high winds, and caution should be taken when inspecting a roof after such adverse weather in case of damage to the structure, which may have left the roof in a hazardous condition.

If there is any cause for concern about the condition of the roof, contact a professional roofing contractor to arrange inspection and any repairs required. If there is no-one available, and to prevent damage to the interior of the building and its contents, emergency repairs can be undertaken. These should be as simple as possible to maximize safety of non-professional roofers, and they should be classed as temporary only – the permanent repairs being undertaken as soon as the weather allows.

If there is a manufacturer’s warranty, the manufacturer and the installation contractor should be contacted right away.

Roof Repairs – Procedures

There is a vast number of types of roofing membranes, too many to tailor to emergency roof repairs individually. If literature or advice cannot be found, or if there are no procedures available for emergency repairs, the following guidelines are suggested:

Protect the interior: Use containers to catch water leakages and plastic sheeting to protect building contents.

As much water should be removed from the roof as possible. Drains and scuppers need to be checked for any blockages and that they are functional. Excessive pooling of water on the roof causes leakage and collapse, and it is usually caused by blocked drains and/or scuppers.

While clearing debris from drains, utmost caution needs to be exercised, as draining water causes excessive suction force which can suck tools, hands and limbs quickly into the vortex and down the drain.

Locate the source of a leak: The area of leakage in the interior of the building should be inspected to locate the exact point on the roof surface above when determining the source of a leak. From here, check the condition of rooftop mechanical equipment and all flashing at terminations and penetrations. Next remove any ballast from the immediate site of leak and inspect the membrane surface for any damage. Lastly, check roofing membrane seams (laps).

PLEASE NOTE: On a roof membrane that has been installed over insulation on a structural concrete deck, it can be very difficult to locate the source of a leak, as well as over an existing membrane or vapor retarder. Where the source of the leak cannot be located, the building owner or maintenance personnel may have no other alternative than just controlling the spread of water until professional help arrives.

Perform emergency repairs: Choose roofing materials which will cause the minimalist of damage to the roofing membrane once the source of the leak is located.

Roof Repair Estimate – Your Simple Guide To Analyzing Costs

Roof Repair - Dec 10,2009 - No Comment

A roof repair estimate can give some home-owners gray hair! The process of trying to figure out how much a roof repair will cost can seem complex, messy and inaccurate. But it doesn’t have to be. You can easily estimate the cost to replace roof decking or shingles if you follow a process.

If you follow recommendations of national associations such as the NRCA, you must be inspecting your roof for wear and tear twice a year. If you notice any, then depending upon the severity of the damage, you may require minor repairs or major re-working or even replacement of the broken roof. A roof repair estimate can help you assess the cost you will incur and also help you plan out a way to afford it or come up with enough money.

The first step in making a roof repair estimate is to compute your roof’s area. This can be difficult to do if your roof is of an unusual shape, while it is easy with square or rectangular roofing. Once you’ve calculated the area in square feet, you must convert it into a metric called ‘squares’ by diving the figure by 100.

Next you must identify the quantity of roof decking. The area of your roof, when divided by 32, will give you an estimate of how many plywood sheets you will require. Knowing how much plywood costs per sheet or plank, you can now calculate the roof repair estimate for your roof.

Another element to estimate is labor. This cost will vary from place to place, and even at different periods of time. You must find out how much labor costs are in your area, and then multiply that by the number of man-hours you figure it will take to finish your roof repair. Adding the two costs together, you will get a ballpark figure for roof repairs.

Once you have a roof repair estimate, you must take the next step and contact a licensed contractor about carrying out the repairs. They will be able to guide you on whether or not a repair is a better option than a full replacement, which is usually reserved for severe damage or for roofs that are older than 20 years.

To make sure you are not cheated by an unscrupulous contractor, you may want to seek out at least 3 different opinions from reputable builders (ask for referrals). That way you will be more certain of any recommendations. If all the 3 experts say the same thing (or agree on certain fundamentals), then you can move ahead more confidently.