When a contractor tears off our roof, will he be able to tell if we need new support beams?

Question

We're not redoing a roof three times. The house got one when it was built, then sometime in the last 50 years since then it got another one and now it's our turn.

18 square feet, he said. It's shaped kinda like the hangman game, with the house, carport and porch.

Answer 1

you may not need a new roof sounds like a flashing problem.flashing is where the house.second Like to go with 3 estimates and go for mid range

Answer 2

When you have leaks in your roof it is always best to tear off all layers. This way you can see what damage has been caused by the leaks. Adding layers not only adds weight (which combined with snow loads may damage rafters) but you will never get the proper life fromyour shingles.

Proper ice and water shield along with correct flashing should be done. Not to mention ventilation combined with correct insulation in your attic. Check out certainteed web site for more info on roofing practices.

If you have mold growing on  your ceiling you will need to get in the attic and remove any wet insulation and replace it. Kilz primer should take care of the mold after a bleach wash. Then re-paint.

In construction you get what you pay for. Contact a local building inspector or if you have a better bussiness bureau for qualified roofers.

Remember everything in your house is under that roof.

Answer 3

Yes if you find a good contractor who knows what he's doing he can tell by looking if you have rotton or damagen "Rafters,Trusses,or beams" The atic will only be exposed f he takes off the sheething. Sheething is a layer of plybord under the shingles. If he does have to replace some sheething he should replace it before the end of the day so the attic is not exposed overnight. Yes its normal for your house to crack sometimes its normal. I would sugest getting at least 3 to 4 estimates. MAKE SURE HE HAS A CONTRACTORS LICENSE!!!! if he has a contractor's licenes he knows what he's doing. Also if you get several different opinions and they all tell you the same thing you know you on the right track.  Hope this helps  Good luck

Answer 4

No because that is a roofing contractor not a builder. Roofing contractors only do roofs and know nothing about structures.

Why are you redoing a roof 3 times ? Thats nuts  all you are doing is compounding mistakes etc

Answer 5

Yes, Usually when they replace the shingles, not the roof; they pull off the shinges and the tar paper underneath.  

Then they can check to see if anything is rotted or leaking and fix it then.  They won t  normally replace the whole roof.  That is usually unnecessary.  And don t recommend it or they will do it and everything will cost twice as much.

EDIT

Yes he is correct about the 2 shingle limit.  That is basically a standard across the nation.   Shingles are heavy.  Try picking up one stack ( I forget what they are properly called ) and imagine 100 of them on your roof.  The 2 sets you already have on there have to come off because  it is already adding extra weight to the roof and you have to account for the extra snow and ice in the winter.  

You might be able to save money by scraping off the old shingles yourself but that is not always practical  .  It is  impossible to know whether 4200 is fair because we do not know the square footage of your roof and how it is shaped.  But 4200 for any roofing job is going to be on the low end of any roofing job.

Make sure you know what kind of shingles you are getting before you have them replaced.  There are many pretty designs out that that could add curb appeal to your house at very little extra cost.  Also check the warranty is see if it is a 15, 20 or 30 year warranty on the shingles. You might want to request a heavier tar paper say   30 pounds versus 15.  All this adds up to more money... the costs are incremental but they can save so much money for you in the future.  Depending on your age, it could be the last roof you buy for the house   or you could have to buy another roof job 15 or 20 years from now.  You must consider how much it will cost in the future and whether you will be able to afford it - Retired ?-

or whether you will be in the house in 5 years.

In these forums you often receive a lot of BS and bad advice, but everything that has been offered up to you so far is good stuff.

EDIT 2

I do not think it is 18 square feet, it is 18 squares...that is what the shingles are called.  A package of them anyhow.   4200 does not sound like a lot of money for what they are doing for all that house...but make sure that he is licensed and maybe drive by and see other jobs he has done.  Call or go by Lowes or Home Depot and talk to the guys in the roofing dept.  They can tell you what the going rate is in your area and how much you should be charged..and you can look at the shingles that you might be getting.  The guys at these  places know this stuff inside and out and they can help you out.  You might be able to get the names of a couple of contractors that they are familiar with.  Lowes and HD do many jobs themselves.  You might be able to see how much they charge if they do it.  At least you have the benefit of a major retailer backing their service than some guy in a truck you may never see again.   But....go to Lowes and HD and ask them your questions....these guys are a wealth of knowledge.  It will give you an edge if you get a contractor on your own.