Roofing, Portland OR

4 April 2011

Stand atop any roof in Portland, Oregon and take a look around. If you know what you are looking for you will see that half of the roofs in Portland are installed wrong. Immediately you will notice that many roofs have the flashing installed on the wrong side of the roofing, or sometimes installed with no flashing at all. This can create rot in the fascia and in the roof sheathing, leading to expensive repairs in the future. Look a little closer and you might notice that many of the the roofs aren't ventilated properly. A poorly ventilated composite (asphalt) shingle roof will not last nearly as long as a properly ventilated one. You say you purchased a fifteen or thirty year roof? In conditions like a roof experiences here in the Northwest and without proper ventilation you can expect that roof to last only two thirds that long. Examine even closer and you may notice that many roofs have the flashing merely caulked to the chimney, not cut into and lapping the masonry properly. Once that caulk fails in a year or two a slow leak may occur, rotting your roof unbeknownst to you until long after your warranty has expired or possibly creating problems for the future owners of your home. Short lived roofs are expensive and generate a lot of waste, they are possibly off to a landfill if they aren't recycled properly. Many older homes here and in other parts of the nation aren't designed with the appropriate ventilation not only because the builders usually didn't fully understand the importance but they were also originally roofed with other materials, like cedar shakes. Composite shingles are the most common form of roofing today as they are the cheapest. They are also the least durable, most susceptible to ventilation problems and most harmful to the environment. So what can you do? First, buy the best roof that you can afford. A dollar spent now is worth more than many dollars spent in the future. If you plan to remain in your home for a lengthy period of time, buy a metal roof or a slate roof, never re-roof again. Compare this against buying several composite roofs, possibly a new one every ten to twenty years. Second, if you must settle for a composite roof, make sure you have proper ventilation. There are many products on the market for retrofitting your older home with proper ventilation, adding years of life on to your roof. Most roofing companies will not offer these options to you, they frequently don't know or don't care. Ask Dwelling Renovation to come by, inspect your home and give you an honest opinion. We can help make your re-roofing project more effective, durable and we can even co-ordinate a quality roofing company for you. Put your home in trustworthy and knowledgable hands.

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