In this post, we will talk about overlay vs. a total residential roof replacement. Overlay means that you put one layer of roofing on top of another. A total roof replacement implies that all of the current materials will be removed and replaced down to the decking.

Your roof is the most important part of your house. After all, it does protect your family and all of your valuable items.

Frye Roofing has over 119 years of proven tried and true knowledge when it comes to roof installations. We know what works and what doesn’t. We know what lasts and what doesn’t. We want to share some of that knowledge with you.

Overlay Cons:

• Water shedding – If water somehow enters through the top layer, it can travel between the layers, which makes it harder to find a leak, even harder to repair it.
• Sheathing damage (aka decking damage) – This is rotted wood usually caused by ice or water damage. We often see damaged decking along gutter edges, valleys or penetrations like chimneys, skylights, or pipe boots. If you have damaged decking, how are the nails securing the shingles to your roof?
• Adds a significant amount of weight – Adding the extra weight could cause sagging in between your roof’s rafters making your roof aesthetically unpleasing to look at too. A 2,000 square foot roof can expect added weight around 3900-4800 pounds. Take that added shingle weight and then adding on a few snowfall accumulations equals potential safety issues.
• Shingles won’t last as long – Multiple layers will cause extra heat trapped on the roof, which causes shingles to blister and curl faster. On average, a homeowner has to change a roof once in their lifetime. Overlaying shingles will increase your roof replacement frequency by up to 40%. Shorter shingle life means you’ll be adding labor and disposal to roof replacement sooner than expected.
• Negative impact on your property and/or resale value

A huge misconception is that two roofs are better than one. However, why would you keep old damaged shingles on your roof?

Overlay Pros:

• Upfront cost savings– It does save a few dollars in labor and disposal costs on the front end. However, I think we’ve pointed out many of the cons that will add safety issues and roofing costs in the future.

Our standard scope of work is to tear off the current roof system, inspect the decking, and replace any damaged areas. We then install all new quality components to give you a high quality, reliable, long-lasting, water-shedding roof system. ALL of this will be in a detailed proposal with no hidden costs. We don’t take short cuts, and don’t leave open-ended proposals to say “as needed” or “if needed.” There won’t be any financial surprises.

When we are finished with your roof:

• Your insurance will love it
• Your property value will love it
• And most importantly… YOU will love it!!