Cape Cod Roofers
There are many types of roofing materials available today for Cape Cod homes. They vary from the least expensive asphalt composite shingles to the more expensive wood and slate roofs. If you need to get your roof redone because of material fatigue or failure, you can reroof with the same type of roofing material that you currently have or replace it with a different roofing material. Having the old roofing material removed and a new roof put on is commonly called a “rip and redo”. If you have an existing asphalt roof you may be able to have a new roof installed right over the old one, but this depends on the condition of your existing roof and your local building code.
Hiring a Roofer: What you need to know
If you are going to get a ballpark figure for a roofing job over the phone for example, you will need to know how many"square” your roof is. A square in roofing terminology is a 10 foot by 10 foot section of roof (or 100 square feet). You can determine this by calculating the square footage of your roof and dividing by 100, this will give you the number of “square” of roof you have.
Roofers will add on a certain percentage for cutting and replacement. They will also want to know the height of the roof from the ground, how many skylights (if any), the pitch of your roof, any valleys, dormers, or other flashing issues you may have (like chimneys, a roof deck, etc…).
Composite or asphalt roofing shingles are batch made. This means if you order the same color shingle later on, say in a year or two, the colors will not match precisely. You will want to have an extra bundle or two from the same batch for use down the road if the roof is damaged in a storm, you add a skylight, etc… This will keep the color of your roof consistently matched in the event you need repairs. Everyone has seen a roof that has been repaired where the patch stands out like a sore thumb because the color is a little off.
Some roofing companies will also tackle minor trim repairs, siding repair and sidewall or siding installation.
Here is a short video with tips on re-roofing your house:
Types of roofs used on Cape Cod houses and commercial buildings:
Composition (asphalt shingles) - 3 tab (least expensive) or architect style (most commonly used today) shingles
Wood shingles or shakes - typically done in red cedar locally, good choice for homes exposed to heavy weather
Metal (steel, aluminum, tin, copper) - standing seam, corrugated, metal sheets or shingles, used mostly on commercial buildings here
Slate - very expensive, rarely seen except for on high end luxury homes
Engineered rubber/plastic - used on both residential and commercial roofs usually on flat or low sloping roofs, under roof decks, etc…
Thatched - there are only two “recently” done thatched roofs on Cape Cod that I know of
Are Asphalt Shingles the Best Investment For Your Home?
During this time of economic uncertainty, you may be hesitant to invest money in your home. It is important to remember, though, that your home is a valuable asset. In order to maintain your investment, home maintenance or repair projects are essential. An important area of your home to maintain is the roof, which may provide up to 50 percent of your home’s exterior protection.
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Ice dams are frozen blocks of ice that collect in gutters and roof edges preventing the proper drainage of roof slopes. When heavy snow falls, and has a chance to collect on a roof, gutters and low slopes prevent snow from sliding off.
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