It’s that time of year again when the weather warms up and people spend more time outdoors, especially in Pennsylvania. After a long, cold winter, now’s the time to check on your roof and see how it’s doing. If you don’t want to grab a ladder and go up there, or you don’t know what you’d even be looking for, hire Roofing By Bruce to do a spring roofing estimate of your house or building.
Roofers get asked a lot of questions and told a lot of opinions. Oftentimes, people come up with some things they think are true, but aren’t. So what are some roofing myths you can ignore?
Shingle Myths
A lot of people assume darker colored shingles will result in higher energy bills. While darker shingles may absorb more heat than lighter ones on sunny days, you have to keep in mind that attics have a layer of insulation and are vented! This reduces heat from transferring from the roof into your home, so shingle color doesn’t really matter.
Speaking of shingles, and roofers often do, too many people think you can just install new shingles right over old ones. This isn’t the best idea. That’s because you’re still left with old, degraded roofing underlayment still in place. It’s like putting lipstick on a pig! Meanwhile, the more shingles you add to the roof, the heavier it becomes and adding another layer of shingles could result in structural damage, including a roof collapse.
Are all asphalt shingles the same? No, this is another myth. While they’re all made from similar materials, shingles definitely vary in quality. Some brands are better (stronger, longer lasting) than others!
Roof Replacement Myths
What about the idea that a roof doesn’t need replacing unless it leaks? False. Obvious leaks tell you there’s a problem, but there could very well be unseen issues. Once water gets into the roofing system, bad things happen to the decking, structural components, etc. Leaks are a sign that something’s majorly wrong. That said, roofs need replacing even when leaks aren’t known and seen. There are other reasons roofs need replacing, like age, mold/mildew, rot, etc.
Finally, most people wrongly assume that roof repairs are too expensive so they’d just rather avoid them. Why not have Roofing By Bruce give you an estimate on work to be done this Spring? See how much things cost before you automatically assume, “It’s too expensive.” Call Roofing By Bruce at 570-424-8891.
