What are the major roofing components?
What roofing options are available?
Who are the roofing enemies?
Frequently Asked Questions
Roofing Vocabulary
Ventilation Information

• Decking
• The boards or sheet material that are fastened to the roof rafters to cover the house.
• Roof Covering
• Shingles, tiles, or panels which protect decking from the weather.
• Roof Structure
• The rafters and trusses constructed to support the decking.
• Drainage
• The features of the roof’s design, such as shape, slope, layout, etc., which affect its ability to shed water.
• Flashing
• Sheet metal or other material laid into the various joints and valleys of the roof to prevent water seepage.

• Asphalt Shingles
• Asphalt shingles are the most commonly used type of shingle. They're reinforced with fiber glass or paper and range in durability; typically 20 to 30 years.
• Asphalt shingles usually have three sections or "tabs" per shingle and an overall length of 3'. Most have dabs of tar or roofing cement on front to hold down the shingle that will lay on top of it.
• Organic Shingles
• Consists of a wood-fiber base, similar to cardboard, that is saturated with asphalt and coated with colored mineral granules.
• Fiberglass Shingles
• Consist of a fiberglass mat, top-and-bottom layers of asphalt and mineral granules. Typically, fiberglass offers greater durability, but their manufacture is important.
• Wood Shingles and Shakes
• Shakes are typically made of cedar, spruce or treated pine. Hand-split shakes have a rough, textured look on the front and often smooth on the back. Wood shingles are machine sawn smooth on both sides.
• Generally, cedar is the highest performing wood for making shakes. But, treated pine shakes also perform well. Shakes are brown or reddish in color when new, but usually fade in the first year to a gray color.
• Wood shingles may be installed with only a slight gap between shingles. However, to allow for expansion, shakes should be spaced up to 1/4" from their neighbors.
• Shakes normally last about 30 years before needing to be replaced and throughout that time individual shakes/shingles may shrink, warp, or splinter.
• Tile
• Tile comes in a vast array of beautiful styles, colors and finishes adding to every home's beauty and architectural styling. There is also a wide selection of carefully blended hues that range from subtle tints to vibrant colors, and wood and slate textures that simulate nature.
• And, tile roofs are extremely durable, capable of withstanding fire, wind, hail, earthquakes, snow, intense heat . . . just about anything Mother Nature has to offer. This resilience enables manufacturers to offer some of the longest warranties in the roofing industry.
• Slate
• Slate (stone) shingles are highly durable (100+ years); but about 3 times heavier per square foot than asphalt. Slate is a bit more difficult to work with and less forgiving than asphalt shingles because they break easily. However, a slate roof can create a colorful, hand-crafted look that adds to the overall appearance of a house.
• Cutting slate to size requires using a special pressure cutter or a pick-like hammer that splits the slate. Slate is easily damaged by walking on it, so you may want to contact a pro for repairs on areas that you can't reach from a ladder.
• Metal Roofing
• Metal roofing is a non-combustible, corrosion resistant and fully recyclable product — perfectly suited for today's needs, lifestyles and environmental priorities. It has outstanding durability and is suitable for extreme weather conditions. It can be installed over existing roofing, eliminating tear off costs, mess and disposal problems.
• Roll-forming, stamping, fade-proof coating processes and a wide range of colors and textures have now advanced modern metal roofing into a product as desirable, attractive and cost-effective as older traditional products.
• Rubber Roofing
• Rubber Roofing provides a cost effective solution for many of today's roofing problems. Its added protection reduces costly patching and expensive re-applications. Rubber Roof Coating has high resistance to acids, alkali and salts. It is thermally stable and is unaffected by temperature changes; exhibits excellent abrasion resistance and superb adhesion to a wide variety of surfaces. Recent evaluations of these roofs show no rust bleed through, no loss of adhesion or other signs of failure.
• Hot Tar Roofing
• N/A

• Sun
  • Heat and ultraviolet rays cause roofing materials to deteriorate over time.
• Rain
  • When water gets underneath the shingles, shakes or other roofing materials, it can work its way to the deck and cause the roof structure to rot. And, the extra moisture encourages mildew and rot elsewhere in the house, including damaged walls, ceilings, insulation and even the electrical system.
• Wind
  • High winds can lift the edges of shingles (or other roofing materials) and force water-and debris underneath them. Very high winds can do extensive damage.
• Snow and Ice
  • Melting snow often refreezes at the roof’s overhang (where the surface is cooler), forming an ice dam and blocking proper drainage into the gutter. Instead, the water backs up under the shingles and seeps into the interior. In the early melt stages, gutters and downspouts can be the first to fill with ice and be damaged beyond repair or torn off the house.
• Moss and Algae
  • Moss can grow on wood shingles and shakes if they are kept moist by poor sunlight conditions or bad drainage. Once it grows, moss holds even more moisture to the roof surface, causing rot, and its roots actually work their way into the wood. Algae also grows in damp, shaded areas on asphalt shingle roofs. Besides creating an ugly black-green stain, it can retain moisture, causing rot and deterioration. Trees and bushes should be trimmed away from the house to eliminate damp, shaded areas, and gutters should be kept clean to ensure good drainage.
• Tree and Leaves
  • Tree branches touching the roof will scratch and gouge the roof material as they are blown back and forth by the wind. Falling branches from overhanging trees can damage-or even puncture-shingles and other roof materials. Leaves on the roof surface retain moisture and cause rot, and leaves in the gutters block drainage.
• Missing or torn Shingles
  • The key to a roof’s effectiveness is complete protection. When shingles are missing or torn off, the roof structure and the interior of the home are vulnerable to water damage and rot. And, the problem is likely to spread-nearby shingles are easily ripped or blown away. Missing or torn shingles should be replaced as soon as possible.
• Shingles Deterioration
  • When shingles get old and worn out, they curl, split and lose their waterproofing effectiveness. And, weakened shingles are easily blown off, torn or lifted by wind gusts. The end result is structural rot and interior damage. A deteriorated roof only gets worse with time and it should be replaced as soon as possible.
• Flashing Deterioration
  • Many apparent roof leaks are really flashing leaks. Without good, tight flashings around chimneys, vents, skylights and wall/roof junctions, water can sneak into the insulation and cause damage to walls, ceilings, insulation and even the electrical system.
• Condensation
  • Condensation can result from the build-up of relatively warm moisture-laden air. Moisture in a poorly ventilated attic promotes decay of the wood decking and rafters, possibly destroying the roof structure. The solution may be to increase attic ventilation through the use of larger or additional vents, so that the attic air temperature will be closer to the outside air temperature.
• The importance of ventilation
  • When a house has been properly ventilated, a positive airflow is created which allows the house to breathe and helps prevent moisture build-up. That's why proper attic ventilation is a serious issue that should always be considered when re-roofing your home.
  • Normal household activities can wreak havoc on an attic and ultimately, a roof. Showers, laundry, dishwashing and cooking all generate moisture that can damage insulation, rafters, wood deck, underlayment and shingles during winter. Summer heat buildup in the attic promotes premature aging and cracking of wood and roofing materials. All of which could shorten roof life. For maximum roof protection, a well-ventilated attic is the key.
  • In warm weather, proper ventilation prevents the attic from becoming a hot box that spills unwanted heat down through the attic floor into the living area (even if the attic is insulated).
  • In cold weather, proper ventilation helps prevent moisture from condensing on the insulation, structural wood, shingles or roof deck. Moisture-soaked insulation becomes ineffective, thereby causing excess energy usage. Condensation on wood leads to rotting and expensive repairs. While those are the most important reasons for proper ventilation, they aren't the only ones.
  • Excess attic heat causes premature shingle failure and can invalidate the shingle warranty. Excess moisture in the home causes mildew and drywall damage. Moisture problems can cause paint to peel and siding to warp.
  • Balanced airflow keeps attic temperatures from reaching extremes. Vents allow outside air to move through the attic. The result is a cooler, drier attic, which means a longer lasting roof
  • What's the solution to gain proper ventilation?
  • Ridge vents, when used with proper undereave vents, are the most efficient form of roof ventilation because they allow uniform escape of warm, moist air from attic space.

• Proper roof venting is critical to good construction practices and maintenance. The purpose of roof venting is to reduce temperature build-up inside the roof cavity during the summer months and to reduce fungal wood rot and other problems associated with condensation in the roof cavity during the cooler months of the year.
• A good venting system allows for a continuous flow of air which enters the roof cavity at a low spot in the roof (for example, under the eave) and exits the roof at a high spot (for example, at or near the ridge of the roof). As a general rule, there is no need to provide for any sort of mechanical assistance, fans, or other devices to the roof venting system. A good venting system works adequately by means of a natural convection current where warm air rises and pulls the cooler, drier air behind it. A good roof venting system must also be designed in such a way as to provide for proper air flow at all portions of the roof.
  
• Improperly vented roofs often result in premature deterioration of the roofing material and fungal wood rot in the roof framing and decking. It is not uncommon to find an improperly vented fifteen-year-old roof with badly curled (and thus non-functional) roofing material and advanced fungal wood rot on the lower side of the roof decking. With the introduction of more insulation and weather sealing, as well as other building techniques which reduce venting, proper roof venting techniques are even more critical than in the past.