Roof Replacement Committee

What We Learned in Meeting 2

Meeting took place on June 19, 2001. Two people from a roof installation contractor spoke to us.

The following committee members were present:

Steve Rawlinson
Mike Newman
Mike Honey
Almud Wennkittl
Doe Melrose

With proper ventilation, our roofs can last another 3 - 10 years. Unfortunately, our roofs do not currently have that ventilation. Ridge vents could be added to the current 2-bedroom units at a cost of $1000 - $1500 per building. (The hyperlink in the previous sentence is to just one of several vendors of this product.) Cannot add vents to the 3-bedroom units because of the vaulted ceilings. Cost of adding these vents at the time of roof replacement would be cut in half.

There may be some dry rot under the old roofs, but it is extremely unlikely that there will be termites in the old wood shingles. Termites do not like that kind of cedar. The fact that moss is growing on the edges of some wood shingles is not something that the roofers thought was worth worrying about.

The top-of-the-line composition shingles may look nice, but as far as functioning is concerned, they really are no better than the 40-year shingles and probably don't last any longer. Composition shingles become very hot in the summer. The wood shingles that lie under the current composition shingles may provide better insulation than the plywood that would replace them. One solution for this problem is to apply a layer of polyurethane under the roof, but a 1" layer would add about $70 per 100 square feet to the cost. Another solution would be to add ridge vents, but this cannot be done for the 3-bedroom units. We received a brochure describing a solar-powered fan attic that could be mounted on the 2-bedroom units (but not the 3-bedroom units), but this product has been on the market for only a couple of years. The roofers like several manufacturers including GAF and Tamko.

Wood shingles are about 30% more expensive than 40-year composition shingles, and wood shingles would last for about 40-years. The wood shingles sold these days are treated chemically to resist fires. The shingles are vacuumed to remove air and moisture, then presure treated with Chemco fire retardant, and finally kiln cured to bond the fire retardant to the wood. Because of this process, the wood shingles do not absorb water like old shingles did. Wood shingles are available having Class B or Class C fire protection. With a layer of an appropriate fire-resistant material ( Dens-Deck Roof Board or mineral-surfaced cap sheet) under Class B shingles, it is possible to have a Class A roof. It is important to select premium grade shingles. Wood shingles have excellent insulation and walkability. They are a bit heavier than composition shingles, and their color tends to fade after a couple of years. The roofers like Jacobs & Jacobs and Watkins Sawmills.

Tile shingles are roughly 20% more expensive than wood. They last 50 years. Walkability tends to improve with age; the tiles seem to cure over time. Tile is not water-tight. The layer under the tile has to work with the tile to protect the house from rain.

Metal shingles are the most expensive. They generally work well, but they act like beer cans when walked on. The roofer who talked to us does not install them. The suppliers tend to use high-pressure sales people.

Cement-fiber shingles tend not to hold up, with the possible exception of Hardi-shake products.

We should select the shingles separately from the roofers and put the shingle selection into our specifications for the roofers to bid on.