There are plenty of reasons you may need a re-roofing specialist in your lifetime. You may need to replace an old roof for safety reasons, or perhaps to enhance the sale value of your home. You may have suffered significant storm damage, which isn’t uncommon in the Queensland climate. Whatever your re-roofing needs, there’s a fair bit involved in the process. Here’s a brief run-down on exactly what re-roofing is, and how it’s done.
Re-roofing is the process of stripping an old roof from a building and replacing it with a new one. It’s a big part of residential roofing, but also occurs in commercial roofing too. While commercial buildings are a bit more complex, re-roofing a house is also a complicate task that requires qualified professionals to do the job properly.
Depending on the state of the existing roof, the process may involve removing the entire roof or parts of it. That’s why experienced professionals are best-placed to inspect and assess what’s required. Of course, re-roofing can take place with all types of roofing materials including metal and tiling.
The first step in any re-roofing process is to thoroughly inspect the existing to roof to find out exactly what needs to be done. This part of the step is crucial in allowing your roofing contractor to give you an accurate quote. While it’s not always possible to see under the existing roofing materials and predict all potential problems, the idea is to work out exactly what work is required and how much it will cost.
Around the same time as the roofing inspection, you’ll be having a good think about what type of roof you’d like. Many people choose the same style they’ve had before, however t’s becoming more common for residential customers to replace old tiled roofing with metal. This is because metal is so durable, less likely to crack and can handle all weather conditions well.
The roofing contractor will discuss all of your options, including extra roofing features you may like. At this time, you should receive an accurate quote for all the work that needs to be completed. Your contractor can also advise you of any potential issues they think may arise.
Before any actual roofing work can start, all safety precautions need to be taken. This involves preparing the site with all necessary safety features, which may include guard rails and access ladders. The environment needs to be cleaned at this point too, ensuring a safe environment for all contractors to work in.
If your roofing contractor doesn’t seem to be taking many safety precautions, it’s worth discussing this with them. All licensed roofing contractors have an obligation to operate in a safe environment at all times.
Once the area is all prepared, work can be done to remove the previous roof. This may involve stripping away tiles, or removing existing metal roofing panels. At this step in the process, everything needs to be removed so the contractors have a blank slate to work with. So, you’ll find that even flashings and vents, chimneys and other valleys in the roof are stripped away to start from scratch.
It’s at this point that your roofing contractor can get a good look at the battens and existing insulation sheets. The insulation is usually removed and replaced with a newer, more effective product. But removal of the battens will really depend on their existing condition.Save
In some instances, the existing battens will be in good condition and can be left in place for the new roof. However, most roofing contractors will factor new battens into the quote, because many older homes have timber battens that aren’t likely to be in good condition.
If the battens are removed and replaced, you’ll usually end up with new metal battens that comply with modern building codes and manufacturer specifications. It does add a little to the cost of re-roofing a house, but metal battens are much stronger, more durable and a better option for a new roof.
Since the insulation in most older roofs is likely to be damaged or degraded in some way, it’s well worth laying new insulation. Usually this is a layer of reflective foil, or something similar. Most people think about insulation batts in the ceiling cavity, however this reflective foil provides an extra layer that’s particularly useful in keeping heat away.
If you don’t already have insulation batts in your roof cavity and you’d like to include some, it’s worth mentioning this to your roofing contractor. While there is such easy access to your roofing cavity, it’s a great time to consider installing it.
With the insulation in place and new battens installed, it’s time to start installing the new roof. First. Your contractors will measure and install the edging before they start adding the metal panels. How quickly this can occur depends on a few factors, particularly how complex the roof shape is. If you have a lot of vents and other penetrations in your roof, it can take a little more time to ensure all the metal roofing fits perfectly around them.
The last part of the roof installation is installing all the flashing. This is the part of the job that finishes everything off, ensuring there’s no gaps. Everything is covered, ensuring no leaks can occur. It’s also a big part in creating the overall look of the roof, making it look completely finished.
It’s at this point that everything will be checked once again, just to make sure everything is in place and where it should be.
Not all roofing contractors are so great at this part, so its worth asking before you even hire them whether clean-up is included. Most contractors will of course clean the new roof and make sure everything looks great, but clean-up around the area should be discussed first.
You’ll naturally want to ensure, above all else, that the materials from the old roof are removed as part of the deal.
Disclaimer: COLORBOND®️ steel, COLORBOND®️ Ultra steel, TRUECORE®️ steel and ®️ colour names are registered trade marks of BlueScope Steel Limited.
SuperDura™️ steel and ™️ colour names are trade marks of BlueScope Steel Limited. ABN 16 000 011 058. All rights reserved.
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