Welcome to our blog. This page is important because many people in the roofing business have absolutely no business being in the roofing business. The huge amount of negative customer reviews on the Internet is mind boggling. You need to stay away from these folks (aka Cowboy Roofers*) and know how to get the best roofing job for the best price possible. This blog will help you do that with fun, informative, and educational factoids about all aspects of roofs and roofing.
*Cowboy Roofers are the folks you should avoid hiring because they put their interests above yours and are marginally to moderately skilled at best. Cowboy roofers give a bad name to the roofing trade and worse yet they give a bad name to the large number of quality-oriented roofing contractors out there. Check out our Hall of Shame for examples of what happens when cowboy roofers get on your roof.
If you have a question that you would like SuperRoofer Joe Sardotz to answer in his blog or FAQs, please complete the Ask SuperRoofer form. Visit Joe's Contact page if you would like Joe to provide roof consulting and inspection services for you.
This week I performed four Portland-area roof inspection and Portland-area roof certification jobs. Two roof inspections revealed the need for new roofs. One roof could be certified as is. One roof needed repairs prior to being certified.
For the Sellwood, Oregon, and Lake Oswego, Oregon, roof inspections that revealed the need for new roofs, I explained to the owners what they had, what they needed, and the best way to do it so they don't have to worry about the roof in the future. I wrote the roof specifications for the jobs and these specifications were presented to all bidders. Once all new roofing bids are received, I will review them with the owners and make my recommendations on whom to hire. After the new roofs are completed, I will inspect each finished product to be certain it was done to specifications and indicate any needed corrections. The owners can then issue the final payment to the roofing companies.
The other two jobs were roof certifications in Southeast Portland and Northeast Portland, Oregon. The first roof, I couldn’t certify because it was not in good condition. The second roof was in good condition; it just needed some vents installed and some minor chimney detail work.
This house in Sellwood needs a new roof and some overhang repairs.
I wrote specifications for a new roof on this duplex in Lake Oswego.
Lake Oswego job. Skylights were leaking due to the seals failing.
Roof certification in SE Portland.
A house in NE Portland. Could not certify because the roof was too far gone. New roof needed.
I have a folder with seventy-three bids from various roofing companies, which I have collected since about 1983. Some bids were offered, some were asked for. Most are specific and clear about how the roofing work will be performed.
Unfortunately, many are quite vague. A few basically say "We will do your roof for this price," with virtually no explanation of the components to be used or mention of any labor warranty. What astounds me is how many of these so-called 'Roofers' actually get roofing jobs!
Labor warranties range from one year to the life of the roof. But that's just the start of what you need to know about roofing bids.
Avoid the Cowboys! Do your homework. Or let me do it for you. Hire me to sort out the wheat from the chaff.
Oregon Property Owners:Contact Joe Sardotz before you roof and let him steer you clear of cowboy roofers. If you've already hired a roofer, let Joe help guide the project and inspect the work at every step.
Which is better: Synthetic underlayment or traditional felt underlayment? Bottom line: Underlayment is a vapor barrier.
Synthetic underlayments are a good product, but the advantage is primarily to the installer:
Synthetics are lighter in weight, so a 1000 sq ft roll weighs about what a roll of standard 15lb 400 sq ft asphalt-saturated felt weighs.
Organic (traditional) felt underlayments will 'breathe' whereas synthetics will not. Many roofers prefer 'felt' for this reason.
Synthetics will not wrinkle overnight like felt will, so the roofer does not need to slice the felt the next day to flatten it out, which saves a little time. Note: If the felt receives 15 minutes of sunlight, it will flatten out. If the roofer covers the felt with a tarp at the end of the workday, it will remain flat overnight.
Synthetics cost more money than standard felt. Of course that cost is passed to you but the roofer has one less time-consuming issue to deal with (time is money) so the profit margin can be higher with synthetic underlayment rather than with felt.
Simply stated, synthetics are more expensive than felt, lighter, and can be quicker and easier for the installer to use. Traditional felt is less expensive than synthetic underlayment, is a little more sensitive to the elements though it can be easily managed with a little extra care.
* The space sheathing on the left is typical, just like the picture on the right — EXCEPT instead of installing plywood over the boards, they put boards between the spaced/skip sheathing. This is one of the ultimate, supreme Cowboy rodeo ripoff tricks that robs property owners of their hard-earned money!
Spaced or ‘skip’ sheathing is installed on roofs when wood shakes or shingles are used as the roofing material. This sheathing allows the wood to ‘breathe’. (Occasionally you see shakes over plywood but rarely. Plywood is not the correct deck for wood roofs, as the roofing and the plywood will fail prematurely due to moisture buildup.)
Switching from a wood roof to a composite shingle roof requires the installation of a solid deck, preferably real plywood and not OSB (waferboard).
Shown above left is a classic cowboy roofer ripoff trick where they installed boards between the spaced sheathing! Look at the wide gaps all over and note that a significant percentage of nails will not hit solid wood. Hand nailing can avoid this failure to hit solid wood, but with air nailers (which 98% of roofers use), the roofer cannot ‘feel’ whether the nails are hitting solid wood. This is one of many reasons why hand nailing is far superior to air nailing.
Which is better? Hand nailing or air nailing? That is the question. Here is the answer: Hand nailing is far superior. Air nailing not even remotely close in quality to hand nailing. Too bad almost nobody does hand nailing anymore. I hand nailed everything, including plywood. I didn't even bring an air compressor to the job unless it was for blowing dust off the roof or my clothes.
98% of 'roofers' use air guns, which is the main reason at least 85% of all roofs are installed incorrectly. By using air power, it is very possible that the blowoff portion of your manufacturer's warranty will be void.
Air nailing is beneficial to both the contractor and the installer, but NOT the property owner! Good for the contractor because the job goes faster. Good for the installer beacause nearly all companies pay PIECEWORK, which encourages speed; so the more the installer does in a day the more they earn. Natural inclination.
If you hear an air nailer going so fast that you cannot differentiate between the individual trigger pulls, then your roof is likely being installed IMPROPERLY. All manufacturers are VERY SPECIFIC about nailing. EVERY bundle of shingles made by EVERY manufacturer includes a diagram regarding nailing. The nails MUST be perpendicular to the deck. The nail heads MUST be flush with the shingle surface and not raised above or pushed through. The nails MUST be precisely placed. You cannot put them just anywhere.
I was a special witness for a homeowner who caught the roofer not abiding by the contract. He refused to pay for the roof. Lawyers became involved. The huge production-oriented local company was pulling out all the stops. I was asked by counsel to take 100 photos of the improper nailing. I pried up 100 shingles and found nails pushed through, applied at an angle and incorrectly placed, as well as not the correct number of nails per shingle.
I marked each black shingle with my yellow crayon. Each was numbered 1 through 100. I made documents explaining what was going on in each photo. One day before the case was to go to trial, the 'roofer' threw in the towel. We prevailed. The homeowner got a free roof and all attorneys costs paid. True story. The homeowner's testimonial is on the Testimonials page.
Another negative about nailing guns is that you cannot 'feel' whether the nail is going into wood or air. With hand nailing you can. Many roofs are installed over 1X8 shiplap boards, which were used in the old days before the introduction of plywood. These boards have wide gaps and many knot holes; therefore, a percentage of the nails will not go into solid wood. The likelihood of blowoff increases.
Any roof with 1X8 shiplap should be covered with plywood. By doing this, you know every nail is hitting solid wood; but most roofers will not do this because the other way IS CHEAPER. Another benefit of 1/2" plywood over 3/4" thick shiplap is that you end up with a total of 1 1/4" of wood for the fasteners to bite into. Walking on a roof deck with these two layers of wood feels like you are walking on the ground. Installing plywood raises the price of the job, reducing the contractor's chance of getting the job when the competition omits plywood. However, installing plywood is the right way to do it!
Virtually nobody will lay it out for you as I just have. Either they don't know this or they don't care. I see it ALLTHE TIME. Production and profit trump quality. And really, a good hand nailer can nearly keep up with a gun user. But most important, with hand nailing you know that 99% of all nails are correctly applied.
If you ask most roofers about hand nailing, just wait for the funny look they give you. Nearly all installers have never done it with a hatchet (roofing hammer). The idea terrifies them. Pay a little extra. GET IT HAND NAILED.
* About Roofing Hammers
Roofing hammers (aka hatchets) are funny looking. They have a round pin at the end, which is the 'gauge'. The gauge makes the rows straight. Althought bottom liners and General Managers look at you like you're nuts if you bring up hand nailing, any architect or (real) builder will tell you hand nailing FAR superior for all the reasons I laid out.
Installing composition shingles in very warm or hot weather requires special considerations. All composition shingles become soft in the heat and scuff or scar very easily with foot traffic. This severely compromises the integrity of the shingles and will shorten their lifespan.
DO NOT allow anyone on your composition roof in hot weather unless absolutely necessary. Tell them to wear soft shoes with smooth soles and not to twist their feet back and forth. Walk CAREFULLY.
In extremely hot climates like Southern Arizona, roofers will be on the roof by dawn, quit at mid-to-late morning, then return later in the day, even working under lights after sunset.
A way to beat the heat in the Pacific Northwest is to stay on the shady sections and relocate when the direct sun comes your way. Some roofers will keep a hose nearby and hose off the shingles periodically, which will stiffen the shingles and lessen the chance of scarring.
I used to save the plywood offcuts from previous roofing jobs. Then I made plywood trails on the roof and kept as much foot traffic on the trails as possible. Little tricks of the trade!
While cedar shake roofs are unique and beautiful, they are gradually pricing themselves out of the market. They also are sensitive to our damp Pacific Northwest climate, require constant maintenance, and are very costly to repair.
If you do choose cedar shakes, be sure to choose the CCA chemically treated ones. These treated shakes are old growth Canadian cedar with 100% vertical grain. Raw shakes are only 60-65% vertical grain and are made from younger trees. All trees are not the same.
The raw shakes will last 20 years maximum (if that) and will split and lift, resembling ski jump ramps long before treated shakes will.
Do not use a #2 or #4 starter course of cedar shake shingles. Instead use the #2, and preferably #1, CCA treated shingles as a premium starter course.
With treated shakes, the mills advise using a hot-dipped nail (NOT electro-galvanized and NOT STAPLES), with stainless steel nails preferred.Stainless steel staples also are acceptable.
For best results, install granule coated metal roof vents (Stonecoat) or a hidden ridge vent. Granule coating blends in nicely with the shingles and offers a nice touch. If you choose a shingle color that doesn’t perfectly match the available Stonecoat vents, a custom vent can be made. Expect to wait about a week for a custom roof vent.
Plastic roof vents are another example of part time pieces on a full time roof. Plastic vents warp, fade, and crack over time due to the UV rays. If a falling tree branch hits them, they can easily break, causing a leak. Most 'roofers' use these plastic roof vents. Why? BECAUSE THEY ARE CHEAP. Use metal vents, granule coated metal vents (Stonecoat), or a hidden ridge vent instead. If you are having a 15-year roof installed, plastic vents will save a few dollars; for a quality, longer-lasting roof, forget plastic!
This photo shows Certainteed ‘Mountain Ridge’ roof ridge shingles. Malarkey calls theirs ‘EZ Ridge’. These ridge products are 5-ply in thickness and are designed to pair with 50-year (lifetime) shingles such as Certainteed ‘Presidential’ or Malarkey ‘Legacy’ to name a few.
Many roofing companies will sneak in a product that is a good quality 1-ply high-profile ridge product, but it will not last 50 years. Use the 1-ply on a 30-year roof (not a 50-year roof).
Why do they put a 30-year ridge on a 50-year roof? BECAUSE IT IS CHEAPER!
Residential and commercial roofing project consulting in Oregon; Portland Metro, Oregon; Bend, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; Washington State; and the Pacific Northwest area. Offering professional roof consulting, inspections, project monitoring, and certifications for property owners and homeowners.
I have a folder with seventy-three bids from various roofing companies, which I have collected since about 1983. Some bids were offered, some were asked for. Most are specific and clear about how the roofing work will be performed.
Cowboy roofers are everywhere. Even in England!
Installing composition shingles in very warm or hot weather requires special considerations. All composition shingles become soft in the heat and scuff or scar very easily with foot traffic. This severely compromises the integrity of the shingles and will shorten their lifespan.
While cedar shake roofs are unique and beautiful, they are gradually pricing themselves out of the market. They also are sensitive to our damp Pacific Northwest climate, require constant maintenance, and are very costly to repair. 
This photo shows Certainteed ‘Mountain Ridge’ roof ridge shingles. Malarkey calls theirs ‘EZ Ridge’. These ridge products are 5-ply in thickness and are designed to pair with 50-year (lifetime) shingles such as Certainteed ‘Presidential’ or Malarkey ‘Legacy’ to name a few.