Southfield Elite Roofing: Roof Replacement, Asphalt Shingle, Metal & Flat Roofing

Roof replacement starts with a full tear-off down to the deck. With the old shingles and felt off, the crew can see the plywood, OSB or plank sheathing and replace soft or delaminated sheets before anything new goes on. Then the layers go back in order: metal drip edge, an ice barrier of self-adhering polymer-modified bitumen at the eaves, synthetic underlayment over the rest of the deck, starter strip, shingles, new step and counter flashing, new pipe boots, and a ridge vent under the ridge cap.

Think of a raincoat over a sweater. The shingles are the coat, but the underlayment, flashing and ice barrier keep you dry where the coat has seams. The deck under all of it only gets seen when the old roof comes off, and on a 1960s house that was overlaid once already, it may not have seen daylight since the house was built. A few sheets of plywood on the bill beat new shingles nailed over a soft spot that shows up again in the first thaw.

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Architectural asphalt shingles (also sold as dimensional or laminated) are two layers bonded together, thicker than the flat 3-tab shingles a lot of older houses were first roofed with. InterNACHI estimates 3-tab at about 20 years and architectural at about 30. The details decide whether you get that: a starter strip at the eaves and rakes so the first course seals down, nails driven in the manufacturer's nailing zone, and proper hip and ridge cap shingles instead of cut-up field shingles. Shingles need enough roof pitch to shed water; on a porch or addition that's nearly flat, a membrane is the right system instead. Ask which brand and product line is in the estimate. CertainTeed, GAF and Owens Corning all make architectural lines, and the install instructions matter more than the logo.

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Standing seam metal roofing locks panels together at raised seams, with clips hidden under the seam, so no screws go through the face of the panel. Exposed-fastener panels cost less but depend on rubber washers that age in the sun. Metal sheds snow in sheets. That helps with ice dams and is bad news for anyone under the eave, so price snow guards into the job. The Metal Roofing Alliance advises running them along the whole eave rather than only over the front door. Under the panels you still want ice barrier at the eaves and synthetic underlayment. InterNACHI gives metal roofs 40 to 80 years.

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Flat roofing (low-slope, really) covers porches, additions and attached garages, and most office and apartment buildings. The common systems are TPO, a white single-ply sheet whose seams are heat-welded with a hot-air welder; EPDM, black rubber joined with seam tape and adhesive; and modified bitumen, laid in torch-applied or self-adhered rolls. Ponding water shortens the life of every one of them, so drains, scuppers and tapered insulation get checked along with the membrane.

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On slate and tile, Southfield Elite Roofing's advice is repair first. InterNACHI puts slate at 60 to 150 years, and a cracked slate is a slate-hook repair, not a reason to strip the roof. Copper or stainless fasteners and copper valleys are standard on this work, because steel nails rust out long before the stone does. Cedar shake has a shorter life, about 25 years for wood roofs. When a matching slate or shake can't be found, you should hear that before you pay for a patch that won't blend.

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Roof leak repair usually comes down to a short list of spots: cracked rubber pipe boots on plumbing vents, step flashing where the roof meets a wall, chimney counter flashing, open valleys, nail pops, and shingles torn off in a wind. The ceiling stain is rarely right under the hole. Water runs along the deck and down a rafter before it drips, a bit like a leaky gutter that soaks the wall six feet from the split. A good repair finds where the water gets in and fixes that spot. If the roof is close to the end of its life, see the lifespan section below before paying for patch after patch.

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Storm damage shows up as creased or torn tabs and missing shingles after wind, and as soft bruises and dark spots of lost granules after hail. Photograph it before anyone tarps it. Michigan DIFS tells homeowners to make temporary repairs such as a tarp to prevent more damage, but to hold off on permanent repairs until the insurer has inspected or says to go ahead. The contractor can give you inspection photos and a written scope for your adjuster. Whether the policy pays is between you and your insurer. Nobody on this site can promise coverage, and you should be wary of anyone who does.

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A roof inspection has two halves. Outside: flashing, sealant, shingle wear, pipe boots and gutters. Inside the attic: stains or soft spots on the decking, frost or mildew on the sheathing in winter, and whether the insulation baffles keep the soffit vents open. Buyers and sellers ask for them too: a written condition report lists what's worn and what's leaking before closing.

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Seamless aluminum gutters are formed on site from a single coil, so the only joints are at corners and downspouts. The usual profile is K-style, in 5-inch or 6-inch widths, held by hidden hangers screwed into the fascia. Bigger roofs and long runs need the 6-inch size and more downspouts. For guards, micro-mesh stops the seeds and fine debris that slip through plain screens. Leaves that sit in a gutter all November are a solid block of ice by January.

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Wood fascia rots behind gutters, and once it's soft the gutter hangers pull out. The fix is to replace the rotted board and wrap it in aluminum. Vented soffit at the bottom of the roof and a ridge vent at the top work as a pair, cold air in low and warm moist air out high, like opening a window at each end of a hot room. Balanced intake and exhaust keep the deck closer to outdoor temperature. A cold deck holds its snow evenly instead of melting it from underneath, and that's what you want in February.

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Skylights come as fixed units, venting units that open for air, and tubular skylights for hallways and small baths. Most skylight leaks are flashing leaks, so a new unit should go in with the manufacturer's flashing kit, not a bead of roof cement. If your skylight is original to the house, replace it during the re-roof while the shingles around it are already off.

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