underlayment Articles

Your Roof: Fire Resistance and Fire Ratings Explained

June 15, 2021

Every summer sees its share of devastating wildfires threatening or consuming residential developments. But, if there’s any glimmer of hope from these tragedies, building science is developing better fire-safe ways to build homes. In particular, scientists have devoted effort to keep burning embers from entering homes through air vents, soffits, and walls. And, of course,… ( read more )

2 Homes: Different roofing problems with similar solutions

February 27, 2020

I want to share with you stories of two interesting homes I visited in late February to assess their roofing problems. Both are in Indiana, and both are situations where the homeowner and contractor are very concerned about mold and mildew inside the homes. They asked me to come and take a look, help triage… ( read more )

Condensation: It’s Raining in My Attic!

December 10, 2018

As someone who helps thousands of homeowners each year with their roofing questions and concerns, I can depend on one thing like clockwork. Every spring and fall, I will field many calls and emails from desperate, scared, and frustrated homeowners who are exclaiming “I had a metal roof installed, and now it’s raining in my… ( read more )

#39 – Metal Roof Installation: Should Shingles be Removed?

May 3, 2017

Should Shingles be Removed Before Installing a Metal Roof? If your home is presently roofed with asphalt shingles, you may be able to avoid the expense of tear-off and protect the environment by reducing landfill. Metal roofs are much lower weight than most other roofing materials. Aluminum roofing weighs around 50 pounds per 100 square… ( read more )

Can Metal Roofs Be Installed Direct Over Old Shingles?

March 8, 2017

Q: Is it OK for metal roofing to be screwed down directly on top of asphalt shingles, without any wood or other material between the metal and shingle? A. You may wish to take a look at the videos in our Metal Roofing 101 video series … there may be some topics of interest to you. I… ( read more )

Recent Question About Roof Deck Insulation

February 16, 2017

I received the following question recently from a homeowner named Tom. He is obviously doing his homework to ensure a successful roofing project. I like that! Q: Todd, I saw your info on metal roofs over shingles and have a few questions. I have a double wide low pitch roof that has some saging between… ( read more )