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Roofing and Siding since 1985
Sat, May 16 2026,11:14am [ Login ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, [3] ]
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Date Posted: Mon, Sep 30 2002, 8:20am
Author: AM Hawkins
Subject: Need roof help

We live in Portland Oregon and have a wood shake shingle roof--1/2 inch and
not pretreated cedar shake shingles. Average home, average roof. We have it
cleaned and treated about every 5 years. This is the 15th year for the roof.
I was hoping to get 20-25 years from this roof. This time the contractor
cleaned the roof and told us he needed to replace 120/150 shingles. He
started to replace the shingles in the back (the side that gets all the
weather--rain and baking summer sun) and said he could not replace the
shingles because for each one he tried to remove, 3 more broke off. He
recommends replacing half the roof, the west and south exposures where the
problem replacements are and he says the "paper is showing". He tell me we
have about 3300 sq ft of roof at a 9/12 angle. Another contractor told me he
wouldn't replace 1/2 the roof because of the damage this would cause to the
1/2 not being replaced (by all the walking on etc) someone pointed out that
then it was possible to have your roof warranties by two different companies.
Help!!! I don't even know if we need the repairs and even if I climbed up
there myself I wouldn't know what I was looking at. I can see from some of
my windows areas of the roof where the shingles do look worn, a bit curling
and some have a "sponge-like" appearance. However, we have no leaking
problems.

This will be a major expense for us--we want to protect our investment but we
also want to do the right thing. Help !!
Thank you.

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Replies:

[> Re: Need roof help -- A Roofer, Thu, Oct 24 2002,10:49pm

Sounds like the dying pang of "trac wood" shakes. Well, you definitely will ruin your roof by walking paths into it. I would never tear off just a back side of a house. You most likely need some repairs. Paper can last for a pretty good amount of time when you keep the ultraviolet rays off of it. Cheap shakes are terrible because you can't do nothing with them after ten years. I never install that stuff they install in housing tracs (trac wood).

When you have someone pressure wash your roof do you go with the cheapest bid? There are power washers that cost over $4000 that are used in the industry and then there are the $800 to $1400 washers that you can get at Home Depot.

For more money you get a high volume / lower pressure washer and the other option is a high pressure / low volume washer. More water less pressure is easier on your roof doing a better job and the higher pressure usually beats your roof up and damages it. Your roof should be in better shape at 15 yrs of age with only two washes on it.

YOUR REPAIRS:
Make sure you find someone that will be gentle in removing shakes in need of replacement. They make tools that can pull the nails before the shake is pulled. When repairs are done by tugging to roughly at the shake it destroys the shakes next to it. Make sure they use enough shakes to cover all the places where the paper is showing. You don't want them to leave any of these areas exposed. They will be the first areas to fail. If its done with care and it doesn't get beaten up to bad by a pressure wash you should get your 20yrs out of this roof. This is easy for me to say from here. I have just seen a roof installed with #2 grade shakes that was shot after 13 yrs of use. That roof could still probably last another possible 2yrs by paper alone.

In the future when you go to replace this roof make sure to have premium cedar shakes installed on you roof. Make sure they say premium and you'll need ten labels to validate the 40yr warranty given on these by the manufacturer. It will probably be more affordable to go to composition on your next roof.

Ask someone who would know when they are up there what they think of the workmanship of the original installer. Ask them if they see a lot SHINERS. Its takes over 20,000 fasteners to install most shake roofs. You should not be able to see these. I can install all my roofs without a single shiner. If you see a lot of them I suspect that your roof will be one that will be out lived by others in the neighborhood. A roofs greatest potential to meet its life expectancy is in the quality of workmanship the roofer used in the installation.

Hope this helps,
Tim Soth / a Roofer


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